How to calculate the residence time from American green card to naturalization?

American investment immigrants apply for American citizenship after obtaining a green card. One of the qualifications is to meet the requirements of immigration law for applicants and to meet the continuous residence time in the United States. Generally speaking, an American immigrant applicant must have lived in the United States for five consecutive years before submitting an application for naturalization. For those who have obtained a green card for five years, naturalization applicants who meet the actual residence time and requirements need to prove that their actual residence time in the United States is not less than 30 months. Specifically, how to judge "continuous residence" and how to define "residence"? "Continuous residence" means staying for five years without major interruption. "Living" means living and working in the United States, owning certain personal property, owning a car registered in the name, paying personal income tax and so on.

The immigration law allows you to apply for naturalization three months before the expiration of your continuous residence. Therefore, applicants can apply for naturalization after four years and nine months of continuous residence or two years and nine months.

According to the law, leaving the United States for no more than six months is generally not considered as an interruption of continuous residence. If you leave the United States for more than half a year but less than one year, for whatever reason, you may be considered to have interrupted your continuous residence. Citizenship and Immigration Services will regard you as voluntarily giving up your green card unless the applicant proves that he has no intention of giving up his continuous residence and provides evidence that he will not give up his green card. However, if you leave the United States for more than one year, you will basically be regarded by the Immigration Bureau as voluntarily giving up your green card and interrupting your continuous residence. The residence time in the United States needs to be recalculated from the date of returning to the United States. Therefore, anyone who has been abroad for more than one year must apply for early parole before going abroad, otherwise he may not be able to return to the United States. Re-entry permit must be applied before leaving the United States, and it is difficult to get approval after going abroad.

In addition, if the applicant is an overseas employee of a U.S. government department, an American company or an international organization, the time spent in overseas residence may not be considered as the interruption of continuous residence, but one of three conditions must be met: A has lived in the United States for at least one year after obtaining a green card, and must be employed by a U.S. government department or an American research institution recognized by the Attorney General; He is employed by an American company engaged in foreign trade or business; Or c is employed by an international organization to which the United States is a member according to international treaties or laws. The parties concerned must submit the N-470 form to the Immigration Bureau to apply for continuous residence time, and spouses and children of overseas employees can also apply for continuous residence time at the same time.