Yes students and business apprentices from India can claim the standarddeduction provided that you or your spouse do not file a return where youitemize deductions. For most aliens the standard deduction is only available if you file form1040 which would mean you are a US citizen or resident. If you do not qualifyas a US resident then you file form 1040NRhttpwww.irs.govpubirspdfp519.pdf which still allows itemized deductions but not a standarddeduction on the form. That creates some confusion for nonresident students from India because theform does not have a place to allow the standard deduction. What you need todo is on page 3 schedule A of form 1040NR on line 14 under miscellaneousdeductions enter the amount of the standard deduction and in the descriptionwrite standard deduction under Article 212 of USIndia tax treaty. There is a worksheet in Publication 519 from the IRShttpwww.irs.govpubirspdfp... that will help you calculate your standarddeduction. One final thought is that even though the F1 visa days in the US dont counttoward substantial presence you may still be able to qualify for dual statusunder the first year choice rules since you were in the US for more than 31days assuming you intend to stay in the US for 2023. If you were married onor prior to Dec 31 2023 and intend to stay during 2023 or your spouse is aUS resident or citizen for 2023 you can file as a resident alien for theentire year.