What does it mean to "maintain continuous residence"?

The phrase "maintain continuous residence" specifically refers to the requirement for lawful permanent residents who seek to become U.S. citizens to have lived in the United States for a certain period without significant interruptions. This means that the applicant should not have made long absences from the U.S. during the period they are applying for citizenship. Significant absences can disrupt the continuity of residence and can affect eligibility for naturalization.

While options involving owning a home, paying taxes, or having a job may all be related to one’s ties to the U.S., they do not accurately encapsulate the definition of maintaining continuous residence. Owning property or being employed does not necessarily indicate that an individual has not been absent for extended periods, which is the primary concern when discussing continuous residence for citizenship applications. The focus is solely on the applicant's physical presence in the U.S. and their efforts to reside continuously without disruptive absences.