it’s normally 5-6 months you will get attention but a lot went on this year so who knows. I normally get a TR but they are handled and designed very poorly so it was an easy choice to go exempt.
if they wanted people to apply for tourist visas they wouldn’t have made the visa exempt the same length at the tourist visa. The whole thing is a bit silly
sounds like you want to have your cake and eat it too. You don’t want to spend the money on the appropriate visa, you want to get a cheaper visa and abuse it’s purpose.
i have no idea what passport you hold, but seems weird to say how often when people are checked since you have zero data and only yourself and anecdotes, as we all do.
I’ve never been asked about a return ticket and never had a flight back in under 4 months