Two members of a Burnaby, B.C., family will be able to stay in Canada as permanent residents, despite being previously told by Canadian immigration officials they would be deported to Russia because of links to the KGB.

Irina Lennikov and her 17-year-old son, Dmitri, have been granted permanent residency on humanitarian and compassionate grounds after a years-long fight with immigration officials.

The Lennikovs were ordered deported last fall after officials learned the father, Mikhail, once worked for the spy agency in the former Soviet Union.

The recent news is particularly good for the couple’s child, a Grade 12 student.

“It’s a huge relief that Dmitri can finish school and at least plan for his further education,” said Mikhail. “On the other hand, it’s like a formula with lots of variables because we don’t know what the final outcome will be.”

So far, Mikhail’s application for permanent residency has not been decided upon.

Mikhail said that before his family’s arrival, he told the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service about his time in the Soviet spy agency.

As a young man in his native Russia, Mikhail was recruited by the KGB to do intelligence work. He said he didn't want the job and left shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union to start a new life in Canada.

The family has been living in Canada for 11 years.