A lengthy process

Making a living as a young married couple can be hard when you are students, but it is even more challenging when one of you is an International student. Stephen and Jessica Brownlee met at school and have been married almost a year. Jessica is from Burley Idaho, and Stephen is from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, a Junior studying Business Management.

Stephen started the lengthy process of applying for permanent residency in November 2009, so that he would eventually be allowed to work off campus. "The hardest part about applying for my residency is paying for it, it's fifteen hundred dollars," said Brownlee. "It's been extra hard to save up money because I can't work off campus or make much money working on campus. I'm currently working on Campus at the Internship and Career Services Center as a career preparation mentor. I'm happy to have a job but, we ended up having to take out a student loan to pay for the application," said Brownlee.

The application also requires a thorough background check. "I had to fill out a bunch of detailed paperwork because they wanted a lot of my background information, they even wanted my finger prints," said Brownlee. "I also had to do a physical and several medical tests because they wanted my medical information as well." It usually takes a year to find out if you've received your permanent residency, but the Brownlees are hoping hey will hear back much sooner.

You can't leave the country during this time, so the Brownlees haven't been up to Canada for several months. "We should be getting or travel documents in about 1 to 3 months so we can travel outside of the United States again," said Brownlee. The Brownlees are happy to be able to travel again, but they seem to want to stick around this area. "We plan on staying in America after I'm done with school. Where I get my career will depend if I get my American citizenship in the log run, " said Brownlee.  "It's a lengthy process but we are anxious and excited to hear the results."