Toronto-born son of Russian spies wins ruling for citizenship
Now 23, he wants his Canadian status reinstated
OTTAWA— The Toronto-born son of Russian spies has won a court battle to regain his Canadian citizenship after it was revoked by Ottawa.
The long-awaited Federal Court of Appeal decision in Alexander Vavilov’s favour is the latest twist in an intriguing espionage saga that spans continents and cultures.
Vavilov was born in 1994 as Alexander Philip Anthony Foley to Donald Heathfield and Tracey Ann Foley. The following year the family — including an older boy, Timothy — left Canada for France, where they spent four years before moving to the U.S.
In June 2010, his parents were exposed as Russian spies and eventually sent back to Russia as part of a prisoner swap.
Alexander finished high school in Russia, studying in English.
Vavilov changed his surname on the advice of Canadian officials in a bid to obtain a Canadian passport. But he ran into difficulties at the passport office, and in August 2014, the citizenship registrar told him the government no longer recognized him as a citizen of Canada.
The registrar said his parents were employees of a foreign government at the time of his birth, making him ineligible for citizenship.
The Federal Court upheld the decision two years ago.
Vavilov has returned to Canada several times over the years and insists he has a profound connection to his birthplace. He had planned to study at the University of Toronto.
In its decision this week, the Federal Court of Appeal quashed the registrar’s decision to cancel Vavilov’s citizenship.
His brother, Timothy Vavilov, 26, also went to court after being stripped of Canadian citizenship. He has his own case before the courts and this ruling doesn’t apply to him, though the lawyer representing both brothers plans to apply to have the ruling extended to his brother’s case.
The federal government still has time to challenge the latest decision at the Supreme Court of Canada.