After spending more than a year residing in Russia on temporary asylum, National Security Agency (NSA) leaker Edward Snowden has been granted permission to stay in the country for three more years.

Last month, the former U.S. intelligence contractor petitioned the Russian government to extend his one-year renewable asylum before it expired on Aug. 1.

On Thursday, his lawyer announced that his request has been met and that he received a three-year residence permit that went into effect on Aug. 1. In addition, he will also be allowed to travel abroad for three months at a time.

"The decision on the application has been taken and therefore starting 1 August 2014 Edward Snowden has received a three-year residential permit," said his attorney Anatoly Kucherena, according to The Guardian.

Kucherena added that Snowden would be able to extend his residency permit for another three years once it expires and that he could apply for Russian citizenship after five years.

The ex-NSA contractor, however, cannot stay in Russia permanently because he has not been granted political asylum.

In June 2013, the former CIA agent leaked top secret U.S. documents that revealed that the NSA has been secretly collecting data on citizens through phone companies like Verizon and AT&T and tapping into the servers of major web companies like Google and Facebook.

According to The New York Times, the classified documents also revealed that the NSA has been building a comprehensive facial recognition database using the Internet to stockpile millions of photographs posted online every day.

The U.S. Department of Justice charged Snowden with two counts of espionage and theft of government property, which comes with a penalty of up to 30 years in prison. However, Snowden fled the country to avoid the charges.

During a recent interview, Snowden expressed his wishes to return to his home in the United States.

"I don't think there's ever been any question that I'd like to go home," he said in May, according to the Associated Press. "Now, whether amnesty or clemency ever becomes a possibility is not for me to say. That's a debate for the public and the government to decide. But, if I could go anywhere in the world, that place would be home."