The issue is the cutting of the ties to the UK
I had an acquaintance run into a similar problem.
The issue is that a long tourist visa is typically used as a backdoor way for someone to come to the US and then disappear as an undocumented (illegal) immigrant. It's a very common ploy that the customs & immigration folks have to look out for. 6 months is a long enough time for someone to get an apartment, find a job and then essentialy become a permanant undocumented resident. Some of the things they look for are folks that are cutting their ties to their old community, don't have any reasons to return, don't have close family to return to, etc.
When I went back and reread the message it sounds like the folks looking to come for 6 months basically were tripping all of the red flags that the customs & immigration folks are watching out for.. To wit:
- They don't own property in the UK, and no long term leases or agreements for residence in the UK
- Have already shifted their funds to a US-based account
- No local community ties to return to (the questions about attending a local church or school, or etc in the UK)
Everything looks like they are intentionally cutting their emotional ties to where they live in the UK. It looks like there's no reason for them to return home -- which trips the red flags
So.. while all of these would also be things that would pretty much make sense on an extended US tour, there's also nothign that would indicate the person isn't planning on doing the tourist visa to undocumented resident route.
Is there anythign they can point to? Such as returning for wedding of a cousin in the UK? or applying for a job in the UK? or looking at property somewhere in the UK or elsewhere? They need to be able to express some long term plans such as return to the UK to attend school, start a job, buy a retirement house, stay near immediate family (mother, father, sisters, brothers, kids, grand kids, etc.), build the retirement house, etc...
