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Hi, This is my first time posting here. I got some bad news today: My girlfriend received the results of her Canadian Study Permit Visa that we spent two months working on, and a fair amount of money (the agent I hired charged 900.00 CAD), and the result was rejection. More specifically, her visa request was denied because she had not "satisfied" the officer that she "would leave Canada at the end of her stay." I met my girlfriend a little over a year ago and we've been dating ever since. I was here teaching and taking Chinese, but I was nearing the end of my 1-year contract doing the former and preparing to return to the U.S., where I'm from. But I fell for her, and part of that I'm sure was her explaining to me that she fully planned to attend college in Toronto the following year. I, reluctantly, signed on for another 6 months at my job, even though my relationship with my verbally abusive boss was devolving into something unsustainable, and she set out on the path to get her Study Visa, by taking her IELTS (she received an overall score of 6.5). But in June, the situation at my job became so bad that I had to leave. My boss threatened both me and my girlfriend (who he had met on a few occasions) and demanded exorbitant amounts of money for my exit. As a result of this, we made a new plan: to visit my family in the U.S. for the summer, after which time she would return to China and secure her study visa, and I would come back with her (probably) on a tourist visa. But it wasn't to be. Though my girlfriend has a friend in the U.S., who offered an invitation letter and an explanation for the visit, the tourist visa was denied after an interview at the embassy in Shanghai. This was the first disappointment. Seeing the bad situation I was in, my girlfriend's parents, who I had become close with over the previous several months (after finally meeting them), invited me to come and stay with them and my girlfriend for the summer, while my girlfriend finished the paperwork for her Study Visa, so we could leave in the fall. As alluded to above, this attempt was also a failure, though a much more surprising one. I attribute it, sadly, to her age but more specifically her gender: She is 23 and unmarried, and she can not prove sufficient ties to her home country, the kind of things necessary to do this -- ownership of an apartment, a salaried job, etc. -- not being likely for anyone of her age and educational aspirations. It is exceedingly frustrating that such a seemingly qualified candidate such as herself -- scored well on IELTS, has a strong high school record, has been accepted by one the universities in Toronto that is recognized by China -- would be unable to secure her study permit, not just for the impact it potentially has on our future, but on her own. This is what she's wanted since before she was with me. Still the reality is, what's most important for both of us now, is staying together. I'm 27 myself and I've never loved anyone more than her, a realization I came to gradually but most assuredly. I find myself willing to stay in China even longer if I must, despite my immense desire to return to my family and friends Stateside (living in Toronto, where I've also been accepted into a post-grad program for what it's worth, would've at least put me a lot closer, and within visiting distance, to my home in Massachusetts). I'm considering finding a university to go to here, or getting tutoring work, but I don't especially want to teach full-time again -- I did it for over a year, it is far from my true passion, and I don't even feel especially skilled at it, which makes me feel uncomfortable returning to that field. Browsing the internet for solutions, I found this forum, and thought I would throw together a post and see what comes of it. Just looking through others' posts is something of a rude awakening, realizing that two people in love have so much difficulty being together due to the complications of immigration law. My own visa in China -- my work visa from my old job, which was never canceled -- expires here in a about 2 weeks, so there's some urgency to my situation, too. Personally, I am open to marriage, and while my girlfriend is a little younger and not as accepting of the idea, she is open to it in so much as a way to get us both out of the country. But her parents are not comfortable with us resorting to this purely for this purpose -- we have their blessing entirely as a couple, but marriage is a big step for them that they want us to spend more time building to. Additionally, the research I've done so far does not suggest that marriage would solve all our problems anyway. I wish to continue my education, and have my family's financial support in doing so; I don't wish to hold down a 9-to-5 job just to prove to some immigration officer that I can support the wife I was forced into marrying. But I imagine the reality of everything I'm saying is all to familiar to many of you, so I'll stop here. Any suggestions at all as to my situation are greatly appreciated. And any further information I can offer I will be more than happy to provide. Thanks for your time, - Sam