By Mark Brett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

For an immigrant family from Penticton, what began as a week of fear and uncertainty has turned into a new lease on life in their adopted homeland.

After getting a one-week delay on a June 13 deportation order, on Tuesday, Hardeep Singh Chahal, his wife Kamaldeep Kaur and three-year-old daughter Keerat Kaur, were informed by the government the delay is now 鈥渋ndefinite.鈥�

In addition, they have been invited to reapply for their cancelled work visas.

鈥淚 just feel so good now. For the last few days there was just so much going through our minds, just so little hope and now this,鈥� said Kamaldeep through her tears of joy in a telephone interview from the Surrey motel where they鈥檝e been staying while waiting for the flight out. 鈥淲e were talking in the morning and if they had not called us, we would have been on an airplane now and leaving our home.

鈥淔or our future I have so many positive things to think. I now have this hope that we will be able to stay. That this will be our home and our children鈥檚 home forever.鈥�

Keerat was born in Canada and Kamaldeep is expecting their second child.

Especially overwhelming for the family was the community response to their situation after the story first appeared in the June 3 print edition of The Herald.

鈥淚 just can鈥檛 understand how I can say thanks to everybody who has helped us stay here, I just can鈥檛 explain it,鈥� said Kamaldeep. 鈥淔or whoever helped us, to everybody who, did thank you so much. We will never forget this help.鈥�

After the story appeared in multiple publications through the Local Journalism Initiative program, more than 100 emails were received and forwarded by member of Parliament Richard Cannings鈥� office to the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

鈥淚 think the community support made a difference,鈥� said Cannings Tuesday in a phone interview from Ottawa. 鈥淚鈥檓 not surprised at all about that support. I think that鈥檚 an indication that they have all that support and with that support comes hope.鈥�

Jula Sukumar-Dyer, Cannings鈥� constituent assistant who has worked tirelessly on the matter agreed.

鈥淚 think it is all the community letters and the case that we made for the family is super important and caught their (government) attention.

鈥淭here was a really good reason for us and the community to advocate and I鈥檓 just so happy the government was able to see the reasons through our eyes.鈥�

And while there is still a process they鈥檒l have to go through to get their Canadian citizenship, according Sukumar-Dyer, their future looks bright.

鈥淲e鈥檙e still waiting for some more news, but things are moving very quickly and moving in a positive direction,鈥� she said. 鈥淗onestly, deportations are really hard to turn around, but I think it can happen.鈥�

Another person who is very happy with Tuesday鈥檚 news is Hardeep鈥檚 former employer and the man who brought the family鈥檚 plight to public attention, Pierre Levesque.

鈥淲e鈥檙e all just so happy, I feel like a million bucks,鈥� said Levesque. 鈥淚t is heartwarming for me. I mean I get to keep a very talented tractor operator, but I guess for me it goes a little deeper than that.鈥�

The family was returning home to Penticton Tuesday evening and was planning to meet with officials of the city鈥檚 Sikh Temple who also stepped up to help after learning about their situation.

鈥淭he family is not finished with this yet and they still have to carry on with the process and so if they need help with that one we will,鈥� said Temple member Jesse Garcha. 鈥淎nything we can do to help the couple we will.鈥�

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