days outside US??

[m_abraham12]

hi,
I am planning to apply for the citizenship..On N-400 they ask for the total no of days outside US in past 5 years...do they count the days we fly abroad & the days we landed back in US?
I have been outside the US for almost 870 days in the past 5yrs...took almost 8 trips in last 5yrs..is tht going to create any issues during interview..anyone with similar experience???
Plsss help...thankyou

 

[boatbod]

The good news is "partial" days count in your favor. i.e. those days you arrive or depart the US are credited to your total physical presence. You must not exceed 900 days absent in the 5yr period, or 540 days if applying based on 3yr marriage to USC.

Its hard to know whether you will face any problems with 870 days absence. The main concern would be the length of each individual trip, and whether these trips were back-to-back with only short "visits" home in between.

Give us some more details, and we may be able to offer further advice.

 

[Flydog]

Yes, any partial days in the US do not count as absent. In the most ridiculous case, consider that if you live in Plattsburg, NY (about an hour or so south of Montreal (in Canada)).

If you wake up early Saturday, drive north, spend the weekend and get back at 11pm Sunday, you had a trip of 0 days duration.