Young people subject to immigration control frequently draw a link between their own subjective wellbeing and whether or not they have a projected sense of self within a clear future trajectory. Building on previous work by the authors, this article explores young people’s lived experiences of constructing futures while subject to immigration control as they transition to ‘adulthood’. More specifically, it examines how young people perceive and respond to time as a tactic of immigration control used in chronological age markers, time-limited legal statuses and bureaucratic process rhythms. It is argued that, in order to sustain a sense of moving forward, young people strive to counter such tactics of immigration control with tactics of their own. The article explores how young people describe working creatively to secure access to a range of often contested rights and entitlements in order to sustain the possibility of futures of their own making in Britain. It concludes by highlighting an overlooked divide between young people’s intentions and aims in securing their futures and the intentions of an immigration control system which arguably underestimates the power of some young people’s agency and determination.