"What is happening to this lovely family is an outrage. To take away someone's entire life with no remorse is absolutely shameful".
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That was a letter sent to The Examiner by grade 8 student, Matthew Kamara.
Cesar Penuela arrived in Australia in 2009, and for the past five years has called Launceston home.
Regrettably, due to a lack of documentation from his employer, the Colombian-born Invermay father-of-two is being forced to leave the country.
The statement made by Matthew is a sentiment shared widely among the people of Tasmania, with The Examiner inundated by letters in support of the family.
Bass Liberal MHR Bridget Archer, said she was made aware of Cesar's situation a few weeks ago and immediately contacted Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to directly advocate on his behalf.
READ MORE: Cesar Penuela's desperation plea
"I am meeting with the Minister tomorrow [Wednesday] to further discuss Cesar's case as I continue to advocate for Cesar and his family to stay in Launceston and be given the opportunity to continue to build their lives here," Ms Archer said.
"It's clear from the correspondence I have received that Cesar and his family are loved by many in our community and have made northern Tasmania their home.
It's distressing to face a situation of being forced to leave over paperwork errors that were not of his doing," she said.
Labor senator Helen Polley, said her office has been in continued contact with Mr Penuela since last week.
"Someone from my office has called the family daily. I have made representations on Mr Penuela's behalf to the Minister for Immigration, Andrew Giles," Ms Polley said.
"In my representations to the Minister I have provided the Minister with the details required for the Minister to make an assessment of the circumstances of the case.
"Mr Penuela and his family are well known to the community and they have made a great contribution to Northern Tasmania.
"Obviously, the ideal outcome is that the Penuela family will be able to spend Christmas together in Tasmania. I will continue to advocate a compassionate and reasonable argument to the Minister," she said.
Bass Labor MHA Janie Finlay said she was sad to read the story of Cesar Penuela and his family and has been in contact with her federal colleagues.
"Cesar and his family have contributed much to the region and I know there are many people in the community who are working behind the scenes on this complex issue," Ms Finlay said.
Bass Liberal MHA Lara Alexander said she met with the family on Thursday and has prepared a three-page letter for the federal Immigration Minister, detailing why Cesar should stay.
"What I did say to the Minister, is there is a new type of visa that has been introduced very recently, visa 191," Ms Alexander said.
The visa allows migrants who have lived and worked in regional/rural areas in Australia for four years to apply for permanent residency.
Liberal Senator Wendy Askew also said she appreciated the difficulties faced by Cesar and his family.
The Examiner asked Mr Giles for comment and received the following response: "The Minister is unable to comment or provide information on individual cases due to privacy obligations," the spokesperson said.
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