It is important to note that although the United States was accepting Soviet immigrants, the only major pathway for emigration from the Soviet Union at the time was to Israel. As a result, many pretended to be going to Israel, but later, went to the United States. Israel was also accepting only Jewish immigrants, or those with Jewish relatives or spouses. Jews were of a lower social status in the Soviet Union, so it was easier for them to leave than it was for ethnic Russians. Thus, the earlier years of Soviet immigration were primarily Jewish.
Unlike other mass migrations, where the average immigrant age group is young, Russian immigrants tended to be older, with adults aged 65 or more comprising a large portion of the Russian population. It was easier for the elderly to come. Mrs. Rena Agayeva speaks of her experience coming from Azerbaijan in 2000,
“Usually they ask less questions and are nicer to the elderly, while your dad and I were thirty so they gave us a harder time.”
