N400 filed in Feb 2023, can travel outside of USA?

[EugeneInSF 3]

Hello all! 

We just filed my wife's N400, we live in San Jose, so I'm guessing San Francisco office, we filed it online. Now it says 17 month wait, is that normal? does it usally take that long? Can we go outside of the country while they are processing? 

 

Please anybody with experience with this please reply! 

[Crazy Cat 41,814]

Our case was in Dallas.  Estimate initially said 11 months.  Reality was 4 months. 

[Timona 4,207]

You're free to travel 

[EugeneInSF 3]

I recall reading some requirement that you can not leave the country while N400 is processing or in the last 6 month prior? We might need to urgently visit wife's family, Just want to make sure we can travel outside the US and not lose the N400 progress? 

[mytruelove18 608]

23 minutes ago, EugeneInSF said:

Hello all! 

We just filed my wife's N400, we live in San Jose, so I'm guessing San Francisco office, we filed it online. Now it says 17 month wait, is that normal? does it usally take that long? Can we go outside of the country while they are processing? 

 

Please anybody with experience with this please reply! 

You can travel. I apply on april 2022 an i traveled on october 2022 , got my interview for december 2022 and oath ceremony january 2023. Noproblem because the trip

[Timona 4,207]

52 minutes ago, EugeneInSF said:

I recall reading some requirement that you can not leave the country while N400 is processing or in the last 6 month prior? We might need to urgently visit wife's family, Just want to make sure we can travel outside the US and not lose the N400 progress? 

 

Reading from? 

[beloved_dingo 1,976]

 

15 hours ago, EugeneInSF said:

I recall reading some requirement that you can not leave the country while N400 is processing or in the last 6 month prior? We might need to urgently visit wife's family, Just want to make sure we can travel outside the US and not lose the N400 progress? 

You can travel without issue as long as you aren't planning to be out of the country for months on end. I think that is the issue you're getting confused with here. 

 

From USCIS:

 

Applicants are required to show that they have:

Resided continuously in the U.S. for three years in the case of qualified spouses of U.S. citizens.

 

“Continuous residence” means that the applicant has maintained residence within the United States for the required period of time shown above.

 

Extended absences outside of the U.S. may disrupt an applicant’s continuous residence.

 

Absences of more than six months but less than one year may disrupt an applicant’s continuous residence unless the applicant can prove otherwise.

 

Additionally, there's "physical presence":

 

Applicants are required to show that they were:

 

Physically present in the U.S. for eighteen months within the three year period before applying in the case of qualified spouses of U.S. citizens.

 

As long as your travel does not cause issues with either of these requirements, you're golden. 

[EugeneInSF 3]

Thank you all for your replies! This helps a lot, I was getting worried that we won't be able to leave the country for 17 months while the N400 is processing, but sounds like that is not the case. Hopefully it wont be full 17 months, but still!

 

Thank you all again!