Mohamed Fahmy, one of two al-Jazeera journalists still held in Egypt, has renounced his Egyptian citizenship to secure his release, his family say.
Mr Fahmy's brother said the journalist, who is also Canadian, was told to give up his nationality or his freedom.
Canada says his release is imminent. The status of his Egyptian colleague Baher Mohamed remains unclear.
Peter Greste, who was freed on Sunday, said he feels "incredible angst" at leaving his colleagues in a Cairo jail.
The Australian journalist was freed from prison and deported after 400 days behind bars.
Peter Greste: "The prison warden said it's time to pack your stuff... you're going"
The three al-Jazeera English journalists were arrested in 2013 after being accused of collaborating with the banned Muslim Brotherhood after former President Mohammed Morsi was ousted by the military.
All three denied the charges against them and said their trial was a sham.
'Release imminent'
Mr Fahmy's brother, Adel, told reporters that the Egyptian authorities gave the journalist the choice between "dropping the nationality or his freedom".
"It was a very difficult decision. Mohamed is very proud and comes from a patriotic family of high ranking military and policemen that have defended this country and fought its wars," Adel Fahmy said.
Many of those family members were offended by Mr Fahmy's decision to relinquish his citizenship, he added, but said his fiance and his mother had pushed him to do so.
Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said on Monday that Mr Fahmy's release was "imminent" but gave no details of a resolution
Orla Guerin: "Peter Greste and his colleagues insist that the only thing they are guilty of is doing their jobs"
There are still concerns over the fate of Mr Mohamed, however, because he is an Egyptian who holds no dual nationality.
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