Continuous residence requirements

[splatterpaint 0]

I see that:

 

• Quote

   

  • Absences of more than six months but less than one year may disrupt an applicant’s continuous residence unless the applicant can prove otherwise, (see legal basis, see policy manual)
  • Absences in excess of one year (PDF, 667 KB) or more may disrupt an applicant’s continuous residence, (see legal basis, see policy manual)

   

Is this six months a year?  Six months for the entire time?  What's to keep someone from spending six months outside the US, coming back for a day, and leaving again (other than that they won't meet their 180 days out of the 3 years as fast)?  I want to make sure our trips outside the US don't mess this up.

 

Thanks

 

 

[aleful 1,905]

you must live in the US more than out of the country or you can loose your GC

 

the GC is for living in the US, being more than 6 months out of the country breaks continuous residence

 

 

[splatterpaint 0]

1 minute ago, aleful said:

you must live in the US more than out of the country or you can loose your GC

 

the GC is for living in the US, being more than 6 months out of the country breaks continuous residence

 

 

More than 6 months out of the country at a time, or 6 months over the three years we have until citizenship?  So 6 months a year for example, or two months a year?

[geowrian 22,338]

Well for one, maintaining LPR status requires you to maintain permanent residence within the US. If you are out of the country too long (not just in a single trip), CPB may assume that you abandoned residence and won't permit you entry.

Edited March 30, 2017 by geowrian

[candybabe 46]

10 hours ago, splatterpaint said:

More than 6 months out of the country at a time, or 6 months over the three years we have until citizenship?  So 6 months a year for example, or two months a year?

The Form asks what trips you have taken outside the US and if the individual trip lasted more than 6 months. Thought behind it being that as a LPR you have to spend 6 months in the US at least, each year, in order to maintain permanent residency status.

 

Also I think, if the total amount of all your trips in a year exceeds 6 months of that year, being abroad.

 

Now, when you are abroad longer than 6 months / year and you want to apply for naturalization, you have to show proof that you maintained ties to the US, such as filing your taxes, paying your mortgage, car loan,  your credit cards, child support, alimony, paying your student loans, or if studying abroad, show that yo umaintained student status with school documents etc  basically prove that you didn't just up and move to another country....

 

The other option is to wait until your travel settles some - I used to work with a Sales Rep guy that used to travel 75% of the time internationally - He chose to communicate his intent to naturalize to his company and switch to a majority of domestic trips to avoid the gap in residency.

 

I am not an immigration lawyer / specialist.