Biloela family to reunite on Australian mainland but visa status expected to remain unchanged

The immigration minister, Alex Hawke, is set to announce the Murugappan family will be released from detention on Christmas Island

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The immigration minister, Alex Hawke, is set to announce on Tuesday that the Murugappan family will be released from detention on Christmas Island and allowed to reunite on the Australian mainland.

Hawke will use his ministerial discretion to allow the family to return but the government is not expected to make any substantive changes to their visa status which is still being argued in the courts.