Have you ever left the United States?

When the USCIS officer asks whether the applicant has ever left the United States, the applicant should respond truthfully and provide details about each trip outside the country since becoming a permanent resident. The N-400 application requires listing every trip of 24 hours or more outside the United States in the previous 5 years (or 3 years if applying as the spouse of a U.S. citizen), with the date of departure, country visited, and date of return. The officer is checking continuous residence and physical presence requirements.

United States immigration law requires applicants to have been physically present in the United States for at least 30 of the 60 months preceding the application (or 18 of 36 months for the 3-year rule). Trips abroad reduce the physical presence count day-for-day. A trip of 6 months or more raises a presumption that the applicant abandoned residence, which can be rebutted with evidence (continued tax filings, U.S. employment, U.S. home, U.S. family ties, etc.). A trip of more than one year breaks continuous residence and generally resets the 5-year (or 3-year) clock unless the applicant filed Form N-470 for preserved residence (typically for U.S. employees abroad).

Applicants who served in the U.S. military, in religious work for U.S.-headquartered organizations, or in qualifying employment for the U.S. government may preserve continuous residence during long absences with proper documentation. Permanent residents must also use a reentry permit (Form I-131) if they expect to be outside the country for more than 1 year, or risk losing their permanent resident status.

Applicants should bring their passport(s), including any expired ones used during the relevant period, with all entry and exit stamps visible. They should also bring documentation of any reentry permits, military deployment orders, or other unusual circumstances. The officer typically has access to the applicant's I-94 records of every entry and exit, as collected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Applicants should be prepared to recall trip dates and durations accurately. Truthfulness is essential because false statements about travel can lead to denial of the application and even revocation of permanent resident status. Applicants who are unsure about a date should say so rather than guessing. Some applicants confuse the difference between a brief border crossing (such as a day trip to Canada or Mexico) and a longer trip; trips of less than 24 hours typically do not need to be listed individually but the totals matter for physical presence calculations.