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This article traces the different origins, development, agency and political stances of various Tajik emigrant communities that emerged after the break-up of the Soviet Union, mainly in Russia, but also beyond the post-Soviet space. It argues that factors such as time and type of arrival, region of origin, socio-economic status in the host society, host and home country policies, all impact on interactions within and across these emigrant populations, as well as on their engagement with the homeland. The article critically examines manifestations of socio-political activism within the Tajik emigrant community complex and points at different forms and degrees of mobilization. It also shows the complexity of answers to emigrants’ activities by the Tajik government, based on a “perceived utility” of different emigrant communities.