I am a UK citizen and have recently returned from the US where i travelled on an ESTA for approx 80 days to visit my fiancee. Before that, i hadn't travelled to the US since February 2020. I have a flight booked to return at the end of December with a return flight to the UK booked mid January. I have read various stories of people running into issues at the border and am paranoid that i too may have problems so i want to mitigate my risk as much as possible and not raise any suspicion. I have a few questions i hope somebody here can help me with or provide more insight from experience.
- Have i left enough time since my last visit and the upcoming one in December to not raise much suspicion? I know there is a rule of thumb to spend at least as much time out of the US before returning but i have also read people say you should spend twice as long out of the US before returning on an ESTA.
- My ESTA was approved in February 2020 and so will expire in February 2022. Would it look more suspicious entering the US with so little time left on my ESTA and would it be safer to get a new one?
- Similar question to above. My UK passport expires in July 2022. Would it look less suspicious if i renewed it now and have a much longer expiration date (I know this will mean i have to apply for a new ESTA also).
- My ties to the UK are not great. I live with my parents so am not a homeowner and am between jobs (only recently left). I do however have a good amount of savings and investments which is allowing me not to have to work at the moment. Other then being a homeowner or showing proof of employment is there anything else which would work to help prove my intention to return to the UK?
I realise a lot of this is dependant on the border agent i get (I am flying into Orlando if this makes any difference, i've heard of some airports being harsher) and i am perhaps overthinking it which i have also been told. But i just want to ensure i have all bases covered and minimise my chances of getting turned away or limited in someway. Thanks.
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/immigration/comments/q9bb43/travelling_to_us_on_esta/