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The UK government has published guidance explaining how much time foreign nationals can spend outside the country while qualifying for British citizenship.
The rules are contained in the Home Office's Form AN guidance and apply to applicants using either the standard five-year route or the three-year route available to people married to, or in a civil partnership with, a British citizen.
The limits matter to Kenyans and other foreign nationals living in the UK who travel abroad for holidays, work, family visits or other reasons while preparing to apply for citizenship.
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Under the standard five-year route, applicants should not have spent more than 450 days outside the UK during the qualifying period.
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Those applying through the three-year route must generally keep their total time outside the country to no more than 270 days.
The Home Office counts complete days spent outside the UK. The day an applicant leaves and the day they return are not included in the calculation.
However, the guidance allows some absences above the normal limits to be considered, depending on the circumstances.
