N-400 Continuous Residence and Physical Presence Requirements 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: How many years of continuous residence as a lawful permanent resident are generally required before filing Form N-400?
- 3 years
- 5 years (Correct answer)
- 7 years
- 10 years
Correct answer: 5 years
Most applicants must maintain continuous residence as a lawful permanent resident for at least 5 years before applying for naturalization.
Question 2: What is the minimum physical presence requirement for applicants under the general 5-year rule?
- 18 months
- 24 months
- 30 months (Correct answer)
- 36 months
Correct answer: 30 months
Applicants under the 5-year rule must have been physically present in the United States for at least 30 months out of the 5 years before filing.
Question 3: An absence from the United States of how long is presumed to break continuous residence?
- More than 3 months
- More than 6 months
- More than 9 months
- More than 12 months (Correct answer)
Correct answer: More than 12 months
An absence of more than one year (12 months) creates a presumption that continuous residence has been broken and resets the continuous residence clock.
Question 4: How long must an applicant have lived in the USCIS district or state where they file their N-400 immediately before filing?
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
- 3 months (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 3 months
An applicant must have resided in the USCIS district or state in which they are filing for at least 3 months immediately preceding the filing of Form N-400.
Question 5: Which government benefit, if granted, allows a permanent resident to preserve their continuous residence during an extended absence abroad?
- Re-entry Permit
- N-470 approval (Correct answer)
- Advance Parole
- I-131 Travel Document
Correct answer: N-470 approval
Form N-470 (Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes) allows eligible residents employed abroad to preserve their continuous residence for naturalization.
Question 6: For applicants married to and living with a U.S. citizen spouse, what is the reduced continuous residence requirement?
- 2 years
- 3 years (Correct answer)
- 4 years
- 5 years
Correct answer: 3 years
Spouses of U.S. citizens who have been living in marital union with their citizen spouse may apply after just 3 years of continuous residence as a permanent resident.
Question 7: An absence from the U.S. of more than 6 months but less than 1 year during the statutory period:
- Automatically breaks continuous residence
- Has no effect on continuous residence
- Raises a rebuttable presumption of broken residence (Correct answer)
- Requires the applicant to restart the 5-year clock
Correct answer: Raises a rebuttable presumption of broken residence
An absence of 6 to 12 months raises a rebuttable presumption that continuous residence was disrupted, but the applicant may provide evidence to overcome this presumption.
N-400 Continuous Residence and Physical Presence Requirements 1
How many years of continuous residence as a lawful permanent resident are generally required before filing Form N-400?