Naturalztn: In for 2 mos, out 10 Mos/Yr, Now What?

I need help for a married couple friend.

They are Permanent Residents for 5 years and need to file for citizenship. The problem is they have left the US for 9-10 months per year and stayed here only 2-3 months per year. One person is 57 and does not speak English, although since it will take 2 years they could probably learn.

What should we do about them not spending enough time here? They are here now, should they NOT leave the US, buy a house of their own, start an Import/Export business so they can travel to their homeland?????

Any help is truly appreciated. Thanks.

Usually, permanent resident status requires that you not leave the country for more than 12 months in a row. So I think that they are OK, but they may not be able to use all that time towards there citizenship application. But I don't see the problem at this point, only that they may have to wait to apply for citizenship, but that may not be true either. You need to get a copy of the formal application for a change in status from permanent resident to citizen...(That's the place to start.)