Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I don't understand why I should not be allowed to take a 2 year vacation in another country without having to leave every 6 months and pray the border agent doesn't find it suspicious that I keep coming back. If you live in a country for 50%+1 days of a solar year you're considered resident in that country and this has a number of implications (first of all taxes). I guess that's why you can't get more that 6 month…
I know the UK allows you 180 days continuous stay, and then you have to leave, but can technically just wait a day and come back, the only problem is the border agent might not like it.
https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/residence-domicile-...
Up to 60 days can be disregarded in the case of "exceptional circumstances", which generally have to be pretty extreme.