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HIAS was involved from the beginning of the Jewish exodus from the USSR. In December 1966, HIAS organized a campaign to encourage American Jews to invite their Soviet relatives to join them in the U.S. The Soviet Union initially allowed limited [[Exit visa#Exit visas|exit visas]] to the U.S., though eventually, regardless of their final destination, Soviet Jews who received permission to emigrate were granted exit visas only to Israel.
Early on, Vienna became the first stop for all Jews exiting the USSR. There they were greeted by a representative of the [[Jewish Agency for Israel]] (JAFI) and by HIAS, and were asked to determine their final destination. Those who were going to Israel were assisted by JAFI; those headed for the U.S. or elsewhere were processed by HIAS. After a short stay in Vienna, those destined for the U.S. were transferred to [[Rome]], where they were processed by the [[Immigration and Naturalization Service|U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)]]. This route came to be known as the [[Vienna-Rome Pipeline]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/1989/11/07/archive/u-s-takes-step-toward-shutting-down-vienna-rome-pipeline-for-refugees|title = U.S. Takes Step Toward Shutting Down 'vienna-rome Pipeline' for Refugees|date = November 7, 1989}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Stateless - a documentary film about the emigration of Soviet Jews during the late 1980's |url=http://www.stateless.us/ |access-date=2022-06-17 |website=www.stateless.us}}</ref>
In August 1972, HIAS obtained [[Parole (United States immigration)|U.S. parole status]] for hundreds of Russian refugees waiting in Rome, cutting their transit time from six months to six weeks. Parole made immigration possible without delay for all members of a family unit reunifying with their relatives in the U.S., who were formally considered their "sponsors".
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