In the last 5 years (3 if filing as spouse of a USC), has any single trip outside the U.S. lasted 6 months or more — or have your trips combined to keep you out for substantial periods?
In short
**An absence of 181 days but less than one year creates a *rebuttable* presumption** that continuous residence was broken — meaning USCIS will deny unless you produce evidence rebutting it (employment kept, home maintained, family in the U.S., taxes filed as a resident, intent documented). **An absence of 365 days or more is *conclusive* break** of continuous residence, unless you filed Form N-470 to preserve residence *before* you left. After a conclusive break, the clock resets to 4 years and 1 day before you can re-file.Context & Examples
Real example — Akhil, Roseville. Akhil's mother had a stroke in Mumbai in late 2023; he flew home and stayed 8 months caring for her until she stabilized. When he filed his N-400 in 2025, the Sacramento officer flagged the trip and issued an RFE. We rebutted the presumption with: a Roseville lease in his name kept active and paid the entire absence; payroll deposits from his California employer's leave-of-absence program; California state and federal tax returns filed as a full-year resident; his wife and U.S. citizen children remaining in California; and a hospital records bundle showing his mother's medical necessity. RFE overcome — naturalized.
Why this is the lawyer's question: Most denials in this category are not about character — they are about a single trip taken without thinking through the residence implications. We screen the I-94 history before filing.
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