In the Bow Valley, international employees really do make the world go 'round. We're exploring the stories of passionate visitors-turned-locals who live and work in the Bow Valley. Most recently, we caught up with Judi Muehlbauer, who is originally from Germany and has been calling Canada home since the Spring of 2017. As for the Bow Valley, she found herself here in 2018, so the Rockies have been home for nearly five years.
Judi works at Lululemon Banff as an Assistant Store Manager. "I started working at the lululemon Banff store as a seasonal holiday "Educator" in 2018," she told us. Unfortunately, Judi had to stop working in 2019 because her visa had expired. "During my PR process, I was issued an open work permit and was able to rejoin the company in March 2020, just before we went into lockdown," she explained. She described her experience working at Lululemon as "nothing but amazing." She loves "the career development opportunities within the organization, interacting with international guests and my wonderful team."
Judi came to Banff to visit her partner, who moved here for a job opportunity. "Visiting him during my ski season at Big White in Kelowna over the winter made me fall in love with the Rockies," she told us. "I am a big lover of the outdoors, summer and winter and every short season in between," Judi Shared. You can typically find her "skiing at the resort and in the backcountry, biking, running, hiking, and standup paddling in the summer. The Bow Valley is the perfect playground for our days off."
She received permanent residency in Canada in 2022. She got PR through a common-law sponsorship through her partner. "To be honest, it was a wild ride–emotionally and mentally," she said. She noted some of the challenges: "Collecting & printing hundreds of pages of legal documents, bills, bank account details, photos and letters from our friends to prove our relationship is legit. Not hearing anything from the government for weeks and months while not working was draining and just so uncertain." Once she got her open work permit after four months of waiting, she knew the first step of the process was successful. One day, she received an email after ten months of waiting that informed her that she was officially a permanent resident of Canada. "Lots of happy tears and joyful screams of relief" were had at that moment, Judi reflected. She noted that working with an immigration lawyer was vital as they supported her in reviewing all her documentation and ensuring she didn't miss any of the "astronomical amount of signatures on every page."
She's delighted to call the Bow Valley home. "The people here are very special - no matter if born and raised or long-term locals. Sharing such a beautiful and adventurous backyard with like-minded people shapes very unique friendships and relationships within this amazing community," Judi said. "Being able to get out for a run, bike or ski before or after work and having the mountains on the weekends right in front of you makes a work day feel just like a little eight hours of distraction before you can jump into the adventure gear and head out."
She loves this place, the people, and the work she gets to do. The process of immigration in any capacity is far from simple, but it's always made easier with experts in your corner.
This story was made possible by our Community Partners Program. Thank you Foothills Immigration Inc. for helping to expand local news coverage in the Bow Valley. Learn more.
