If you stay outside the United States for more than one year without prior approval from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), you may lose your Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status. However, if you obtain a re-entry permit from USCIS, you may remain outside of the United States during the validity period of the permit, which is normally up to two years. U.S. government personnel and their spouses and minor children who hold LPR status may remain outside of the United States for the duration of an official overseas assignment plus four months without losing their resident status.

If you are outside of the United States for more than six months but less than one year, you may still be eligible to naturalize, but you must overcome the presumption of a break in the continuity of residence. If you are outside of the United States for more than one year without USCIS approval via the N-470 process, you are not eligible to apply for naturalization.

According to, you can stay outside the United States for more than six months with a green card, but you must plan well and make sure that your trip is temporary. If you stay outside the United States for more than a year without obtaining a re-entry permit, you may be considered as having abandoned your LPR status.

In summary, if you stay outside the United States for more than one year without prior approval from USCIS, you may lose your LPR status. If you stay outside the United States for more than six months but less than one year, you may still be eligible to naturalize, but you must overcome the presumption of a break in the continuity of residence. If you plan to stay outside the United States for more than six months, you should obtain a re-entry permit from USCIS to avoid losing your LPR status.