Many scholars have discussed irregular immigration in contemporary societies; however, we know little of the subjectivities of such migrants. It is of increasing importance to understand not just migrants` marginal realities, but also their future aspirations and expectations. This research sheds light on the construction of aspirations for irregular immigration by examining cases of the extralegal male-dominant migrant community in Hong Kong, where estimates suggest that 75% of the approximately 7,000-strong irregular migrant population comes from South Asia. Their stories are often not of trafficking, terror and violence as one might expect of such migrants, but instead, speak of cultures of migration creating obligations to engage in out-migration, of media influence, and of false aspirations constructed by fallen migrants feigning success. Despite knowing the risks that await them, why do South Asians choose not only to live their own lives at the margins of society as extralegal citizens, but also continue to reproduce the perpetual myth of success in the promised foreign land? Based on a year of in-depth interviews and three months of participant research, this paper looks at extralegal South Asian men in Hong Kong in order to examine how their dreams of illegality are constructed, what realities are met, and how the mirage of succ ess remains.