The “Biloela family” has been granted permanent residency in Australia.
The Nadesalingam family has been detained for four years following a protracted immigration dispute, which featured a drawn-out conflict at its centre.
The new federal administration allowed them to return to Biloela, a small Queensland town, following the conclusion of their legal matter.
Yesterday afternoon, the Department of Home Affairs issued permanent visas to Priya, Nades, Kopika, and Tharnicaa, also known as the Murugappans.
The choice has been verified by Minister of Immigration, Citizenship, and Multicultural Affairs Andrew Giles.
The Biloela residents who opposed the Sri Lankan family’s imprisonment and feared deportation in 2018 made it feasible for the family to wait years for this day.
The Murugappan family has spent a significant amount of time in prison on Christmas Island since 2019.
When their visas expired in 2018, they were removed from their home in the Queensland town of Biloela and placed in custody.
Their children, Kopika and Tharnicaa, were both born in Australia when the parents travelled there by boat to seek asylum.
Priya and Nades are both Tamil, a minority in Sri Lanka that has faced persecution.