Continuous residence
U.S. Naturalization Test (2025 Standard) glossary · English
Definition
Continuous residence asks whether the United States remained your principal home during the required period. An absence of more than six months but less than one year creates a rebuttable presumption of a break; an absence of one year or more generally breaks continuity unless a specific preservation rule applies. This is separate from physical presence, which simply counts days inside the country.
Continuous residence in plain English
Continuous residence is about whether the U.S. genuinely stayed your main home for the whole required stretch of time, not just whether you happened to be standing on U.S. soil. If you leave for more than six months but under a year, the government assumes your residence was broken unless you can prove otherwise (that's what 'rebuttable presumption' means, a starting assumption you're allowed to argue against). Leaving for a year or more usually breaks it entirely, except in a few special protected situations. Picture keeping your apartment as your real home base versus actually giving it up while traveling, that difference is what this rule measures.
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