ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the characteristics and impacts of the unexpected and spontaneous East Timorese labour migration flow to Western Europe. It focuses on Fataluku migrants and their households of origin in Dili and home district of Lautem. The chapter also focuses on a number of targeted household surveys that offer complementary insights into the migrations patterns and possibilities. Brexit had a more unsettling significance, especially amongst the many young Fataluku who have been participating in transnational labour migration to the United Kingdom in increasing numbers. East Timorese migration to the United Kingdom has also spanned the introduction and expansion of mobile telephony, the Internet and the diverse technologies of social media. Both household surveys confirm the significance of cash remittances from the United Kingdom to relatives in Timor-Leste, usually via the reliable if expensive Western Union financial transfers.
