Hundreds of people in Kindersley, Sask., are rallying for the federal government to allow a Venezuelan family facing deportation to continue to living in the community.

Wilmer Gonzalez, his wife and two children have been given one month to leave Canada after his work visa expired and was denied renewal by Immigration and Citizenship Canada.

“The officer told me this is the end of the line, you have to go back home,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez had been working maintenance for the Heartland Health Region at the hospital in Kindersley and part-time with the local Salvation Army for the past three years. With his work visa set to expire, he applied to renew another one-year permit in March 2017.

He said he took the appropriate steps to extend his work permit with Canadian Immigration, but did not receive a response until July 20, 2017. Gonzalez said that by the time Immigration and Citizenship got around to his request, his application was denied because his permit had already expired and a valid permit is required for renewal.

The denied extension forced Gonzalez to leave his job. He said he and his family are devastated.

“I support everything for my kids and my wife,” said Gonzalez. “My wife can’t work and I’m working two jobs and I have to stop. You can’t imagine that position. It’s really hard.”

Now, Gonzalez will have to take his wife Vanessa, his five-year-old daughter Oriana and his seven-year-old son Javier back to Venezuela.

Protesters have clashed with police and military over a referendum for months in Venezuela. It’s a scary reality for the future of the family, said Gonzalez.

“It’s really bad and I’m scared for my family because it’s not a safe place for my kids and my wife.”

The Gonzalez family is pleading their case to stay in Canada and so are community members in the town of Kindersley. An online petition on change.org has more than 450 signatures.

Family friend Bruce Falk says Gonzalez is an integral part of the community who volunteers to help others by shoveling sidewalks and coaching his son’s soccer team.

“He epitomizes what a Canadian should be and he is,” Falk said. “He’s hard-working. He contributes to the community. His kids are so well-rooted here. It’s going to be a real shock when he has to go back.”

To date, Gonzalez says he has spent more than $10,000 just to complete immigration documents and applications.

CTV News has reached out to Immigration and Citizenship Canada but has not received an official response.