How calculations work
Plain-English math behind the dates and signals you see. For informational purposes only — consult a qualified immigration attorney for case-specific guidance.
Estimated earliest N-400 filing date
We take your green card date and add the residency requirement for your path — 5 years for the standard path, 3 years for the spouse-of-citizen path — then subtract the 90-day early-filing window that USCIS allows. The result is shown as an estimated earliest filing date and may require review based on your personal circumstances.
Travel & continuous residence signals
For each trip you log, we calculate days abroad. Trips approaching 180 days are surfaced as a planning milestone that may require review, and trips of 365+ days are highlighted because USCIS treats them as a significant break in continuous residence. These are signals, not determinations.
Physical presence
We add up your time inside the U.S. between your green card date and today, subtracting your logged trips. We compare that to the USCIS requirement — 913 days for the standard path or 548 days for the spouse-of-citizen path — and show your progress as a percentage. Days you don't log can't be counted, so keeping travel up to date keeps the estimate accurate.
Readiness score
The readiness score combines three planning signals — time as a resident, physical presence progress, and continuous-residence risk from your longest trip — into a single calm indicator. It is a planning summary, not a prediction of how USCIS will rule.
USCIS informational references
The rules behind these calculations come from USCIS. The most useful starting points are uscis.gov/n-400 and the USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 12 (Citizenship and Naturalization). USCIS is the authoritative source; this page summarizes how we apply those rules to the dates you enter.