Thanks very much for the response, Mr Knowitall.
Nothing amiss in my husband's background at all. No overstays or anything to that effect. What we assumed was lacking, was a lot more evidence to prove ties back to the UK - although the immigration officer did say it wasn't so much further evidence, but more so our situation. He said, because we had a little more financial freedom (I'm thinking more money in our savings but not sure), that we were candidates for possibly deciding to just stay in the US. This makes absolutely no sense since we can't get work there without the proper immigration steps being followed, nor do we want to since we're returning to a successful business in the UK in 2010. He also said he had no way of checking our documents (eg. business ownership, house mortgage documents, etc) since they were from the UK. Is this true?
We looked at the VWP (in retrospect, wishing we had gone that route) but it's only for a 3 month stay, so we thought we would try for the lengthier B2 visa. Could you tell me if he will be denied qualification for the VWP now because of this recent B2 refusal?
I'm currently trying to consult an immigration lawyer, but still waiting for her to respond with what she thinks our options are. Hard to stay patient when our January departure looms so quickly! Canada might have been an option if it were more climbable in the winter (ice climbing is no longer a part of our skill sets).
Thanks again for your advice. Feeling quite desperate for answers at this point.

