1. Dual status resident aliens at year end are not entitle to file jointly without a valid §6013(h) election.  Based on the little information the OP provided, we don't know whether the spouse was an NRA at the beginning of the year, hence, my question to the OP.
2. Yes, you will require either an SSN or ITIN.
3. I was referring to the standard dropdown options in Lacerte.
4. I was referring to federal return, not state, because, very often, that determines the default filing position for state.
5. A lot of returns are not filed correctly and we are here to advocate what should be done by the book to keep clients out of trouble.