Print PageThe family of an alleged people smuggler known as Captain Emad have had their protection visas cancelled, the immigration department has revealed.
Captain Emad, also known as Ali Al Abbasi and Abu Khalid, fled Australia on June 5, a day after ABC's Four Corners program linked him to a people-smuggling operation and discovered he was working as a supermarket trolley supervisor at a Canberra shopping centre.
Following an investigation by the department, then-immigration minister Chris Bowen decided in August to cancel his visa.
Immigration department officials told a senate estimates hearing on Monday that Captain Emad's son, daughter, daughter-in-law and ex-wife had their protection visas cancelled in January and were served with removal-pending bridging visas.
They've also been served with humanitarian stay temporary visas.
One remaining daughter was still on a protection visa.
The family members haven't been given a removal date and may still be owed protections, the officials added.
Department secretary Martin Bowles noted the family members no longer had a path to permanent residency under their current visas.
The department was managing the cases with the "obvious objective" to remove the family members from Australia, he added.
Mr Bowles declined to give further details on the cases due to privacy reasons.
Captain Emad, who is an Iraqi national, arrived in Australia on a boat from Indonesia as a refugee in 2010 and was on a protection visa.
His wife and three adult children and their dependents arrived by boat in 2009.
All were granted refugee status and settled in Canberra in public housing.
He's now believed to be living in Iraq.
