Countinuous Resident

[standalone]

To be naturalized, you will have to have to have been a permanent resident for 3 years based on marriage or 5 years and lived continuously in the US. My questions is what does "continuous resident"? does it mean lived in the US for 3 or 5 years and didn't leave at all? or since the green car was granted to you?

I have been living in the US for almost 3 years. If I leave, does that mean I have to start the count over?

[BornintheRSA]

Read The Guide to Naturalization

Continuous Residence:
“Continuous residence” means that you
have not left the United States for a long
period of time. If you leave the United
States for too long, you may interrupt
your continuous residence.

What if I was outside the United States
between 6 and 12 months?
If you leave the United States for more than 6 months,
but less than 1 year, you have broken
or disrupted your continuous residence
unless you can prove otherwise.

What if I was outside the United States
for 1 year or longer?
In almost all cases, if you leave the United States for 1 year or
more, you have disrupted your continuous
residence. This is true even if you have a
Re-entry Permit.
If you leave the country for 1 year or
longer, you may be eligible to re-enter as a
Permanent Resident if you have a Re-entry
Permit. But none of the time you were in
the United States before you left the country
counts toward your time in continuous
residence.