Green card after 1 year (I-485)

U.S. law requires refugees to apply for a green card, which is lawful permanent resident status, after at least 1 year of physical presence [source].

Travel outside the United States during that year does not count as presence. The Policy Manual says the year is measured when USCIS decides the application, and that only days in the United States count. Read Can I leave the USA? before you travel [source].

• Admitted as a refugee under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act [source].
• Physically present in the United States when you file, and for at least 1 year after admission, on the public green card page [source].
• The Policy Manual requires 1 year of physical presence at the time of the decision, not only one calendar year from admission. A trip means you wait until the days inside add up to a year [source]. The two USCIS pages do not use the same sentence. Show both to your lawyer or accredited representative.
• Refugee status not terminated, and you are not already a permanent resident [source].
• Admissible, or eligible for a waiver on Form I-602 [source].

• Form I-485. Principal refugees pay no filing fee and no biometrics fee [source].
• Proof of refugee admission, such as the I-94, evidence of 1 year of presence, two passport-style photos, photo identification, and a birth certificate if you have one [source].
• The vaccination record part of Form I-693 [source].
• Form I-602, if you need a waiver [source].