This paper puts forward a temporal approach on migration experiences in terms of time qualities and life planning. More precisely, it seeks to articulate how temporal horizons impact on migration projects and affect decision-making in crucial domains of life.

Even if planned to be temporary, the majority of migration projects of Moldovans in Italy have been extended indefinitely over the years. My proposed work (envisioned as the final chapter of my PhD thesis) is intended to illustrate the experience of protracted temporariness of labour migrants, often in a precarious if not irregular status. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in several Italian cities with a large concentration of Eastern European migrants, I aim to address the time management of those who are not always in the position to “own” time, have a clear vision of what lies ahead and make informed decisions. If migration was meant to be a temporary disruption, how is this intended temporariness revised and what are the factors that limit autonomy in making (new) decisions? How migration plans change over time and what factors determine this change? How is temporariness reflected in their everydayness, family life, qualities of time and how does it affect long term decision-making in practical domains such as occupational career, access to social benefits, pension and health system?

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