One of the refugee families who have been staying in Whitehorse was granted the right to remain Tuesday.

Ted Wagner is the senior pastor at the First Pentecostal Church and a friend of Ricardo and Pekina Castro. He said this morning the couple's refugee application was granted during a hearing in Vancouver.

'They're very pleased, obviously,' Wagner said. He didn't have a lot of details of the hearing outside of the couple being granted refugee status to stay in Canada rather than returning to Bolivia.

As for whether he thinks this will have any bearing on future cases for other refugees who came to Whitehorse in 2004 and are facing similar hearings, Wagner replied, 'I don't know.'

Wagner said he's been told by three immigration lawyers that the sole criteria in granting refugee status is whether the applicant will face peril in returning to his or her home country. Each case is considered on its own merit, Wagner has been told.

Unlike an immigration hearing, the refugee application process doesn't consider the contribution an applicant is making to the community he or she is living in, he said, adding the Castros are making a significant contribution to Whitehorse.

He believes this is the first refugee family in Whitehorse to be granted refugee status.

Just last month, the Zuniga-Morales', a Costa Rican family with two young children staying in Whitehorse, were ordered deported to their home country.

Wife Katherine reported for her early-morning flight out of Whitehorse with children Gressly and Dirik, but husband and father Elliel failed to show up. He hasn't been heard from since.

About 50 Latino families moved to the Yukon last year, many arriving by bus from Toronto.

The Castros are scheduled to return to Whitehorse from Vancouver on Friday.