How can a European get Permanent Resident status or Working Visa to stay in the US?

My girlfriend is from Germany, her student Visa expires in two weeks and she will have to leave. She will return to europe. I’m going to go travel around Europe with her for 2 months. She then wants to be able to return to the US, to stay here, find a job, work, and continue our relationship (and I obviously want her to stay as well).

The legal talk on the US Dept of Immigration website is very confusing for me (I was born and raised in NY) and even more confusing for her (English is her 2nd language). Does anyone have any helpful tips on ways we can apply for her status change/visas… or know of any immigration law loopholes that may allow her to come back here soon with a new status?

btw…I’m sure many of you will say the obvious answer…marriage—we love each other, and I could see myself being with her forever…but we haven’t been together long enough for me to know for sure. Neither one of us wants to rush into marriage just to get her a green card. Marriage would have to be when the time is right.