That's the year that I applied and got permanent residence. It didn't feel out of reach, besides the long month of waiting. The background check was pretty ep

That's the year that I applied and got permanent residence. It didn't feel out of reach, besides the long month of waiting. The background check was pretty epic, though. I had to prove that I was indeed in a relationship with my girlfriend, who was a New Zealand citizen. This was probably because I didn't have a job lined up or a degree or skills to offer. We turned over about a year's worth of letter's we had mailed each other, many of which were pretty intimate. Supposedly someone flipped through them. Then I had to get a chest X-ray and some other medical exams, along with a drug test, to make sure I wasn't just coming over to freeload off their medical system or sling dope. I imagine it would have been much easier if I had the skills and income that I have now. I was actually kinda shocked that I got permanent residency as easily as I did. From what I was told, I should have been pessimistic.