I know we are allowed to visit, but what about extended visits? 6-8 weeks long

[MidAtlanticMerge 9]

Hi all

So I know that my husband (from the UK) is allowed to visit the US on his regular ESTA and he has done it twice in the past with no problem. He had letters from his employer and other items to prove he intends to return but they never asked to see any of it, they just asked basic questions and let him through.

My question is, will he have a problem if he plans on staying in the US for a while (6 weeks)? He wants to come on Dec 1 and return to the UK on the 15th of January. He will no longer have a job at that point, so he won't be able to prove employment. He also had to move home bc his landlord would give him a short term lease, so I am not sure how he can prove his residence? The only thing that we can think of for proving that he is returning is a return ticket.

A separate but related question, if all goes according to plan, his interview will take place in March. Does it get harder to visit the closer you get to your consular interview or does it not matter?

Thanks!

[Boiler 45,519]

I did a trip of about 85 days at a similar point but each entry is assessed independently.