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Hello Lyshawalks,

The main thing about getting a permit to stay in Switzerland is: proving that you can provide in your own income. In your situation, I would see two possible ways to do so.

1. Find a job. This can be pretty hard if you are neither Swiss nor EU Citizen, as (1) an employer has to prove that he cannot find anyone in Switzerland or the EU for the job before he can hire you; (2) strict quota apply, even if your employer can prove the things under (1).
As for the quota: if that's the problem, your best bet is to ask for a permit in the beginning of the year, as the quota are on a yearly basis and a new "can" of quota is opened at January 1. As for the employer: you won't have a lot of options for hair styling, as there are probably more than enough EU and Swiss people for such jobs. Au pair is a better option (as they'll need people from abroad and you may have possibilities to work with a US family who wants an au pair that is US-related). Luzern is not Zurich, so why don't you try your luck in Luzern.
2. If your boyfriend's place is big enough for two (the Canton of Luzern may have specific rules for this, like number of rooms, ...) and he has enough income to provide for two (that's usually ok if he's got a full time job): marry your boyfriend.

More details on 2. at ; search for "Familiennachzug"

Good luck,
Twan.

Twan,

Thanks for taking the time to read over my forum and replying.. I did not know about the quota restarting at the beginning of the year. I have definetly been looking into au pairing as well and have a job interview (in Luzern) in 2 weeks! wish me luckÌý Ìý

Im not quite sure how I feel about marriage...yet, but still open to it if I don't land on something else.. Trying to explore all possible oppurtunities first.

I really appreciate the info.

Thanks,
Lysha

You're welcome - wish you all the best for the Luzern job interview!