Can you tell ATC you are a "student pilot" when you are not?
It's a bad idea to give false information to a controller as a matter of practice. Instead of calling yourself a student when you're not, it would be better to say you're unfamiliar with the area or that your English is not perfect. 

Controllers are almost always accommodating to less-than-proficient pilots and will usually make allowances whenever time and traffic permits.

If your English is not good, be sure and use simple, direct phraseology. Read the AIM to become familiar with the common phrases used with ATC. Even something as simple as hearing "radar identified" in Canada instead of the usual U.S. phrase "radar contact" has caused many a native English speaker to reply "say again?"