•  To file for citizenship to the United States, you must be physically and continuously present for 5 years.
  •  You must be physically present for 2 ½ years and continuously present for 5 years.
  • A trip abroad for less than 6 months will not interrupt continuous presence.
  • A trip abroad between 6 to 12 months might interrupt continuous presence.
  •  A trip abroad for over a year will interrupt continuous presence.
  •  Once you interrupt that continuous presence, you will have to re-accumulate that time once you come back into the United States and then demonstrate that you have been continuously present and physically present in order to be eligible for citizenship.