WINNIPEG -- On a cold February morning, Luiz Rodriguez Bonito was supposed to be flying off to sunny Portugal, but he and his family didn't get on that plane – and they couldn't be happier. "My daughter she just jump and yell yay I can't believe," said Bonito. "So, I'm very happy about that."
The reason they're so happy is that the flight would have been one way. The family was due to be deported. They're originally from Venezuela, but they had to flee the political and economic unrest there. Because Rodriguez Bonito's parents are from Portugal, and he has a passport from that country, his refugee claim was denied. He was ordered to leave the country on Monday, but on Sunday his phone rang.
"The minister of immigration intervene in our case," said Rodriguez Bonito, "And will give to us 2 years to make another application."
His sister Miriam Cristina Rodrigues Bonito knows this isn't the end of the story.
"Of course there's details that we still have to figure out in the process. And we will do that with the help of the people involved."
But while those details are being worked out Rodriguez Bonito's daughter Ana can go back to the school she loves, he can return to his job as a painter, and the family can continue to pursue their dream of staying in Canada: the new home they have grown to love.
