Ilya Shapiro and his Russian parents escaped to Canada, where he grew up. In My Story: An Anecdotal Argument for Immigration Reform he explains how difficult it is to become an permanent resident or citizen of the United States:
And yet there is no way to become a permanent resident without a spouse or employer acting as a sponsor (or without winning the ‘green card lottery,’ for which neither Canadians nor Russians — were I to reacquire that passport and avoid being sent to Chechnya — are eligible). Unlike every other immigrant-accepting country, the United States makes no provision for ‘independent immigration.’ That is, the executive and legislative branches have not established a set of criteria by which immigration workers can evaluate would-be immigrants — no ‘points system’ like the one that enabled my engineer parents to come to Canada.While I am hugely grateful for the opportunity to live and work in America (and in our nation’s capital), I am not presently able to use the wonderful education and skills I have been given for the higher purpose that has long directed my path: the service of my country. I cannot work in the State or Defense Departments, in the challenging and critical Justice Department jobs for which I am otherwise qualified, in Executive Office positions, or in any other legal or policy-making posts for which I have prepared my whole life. I cannot even ‘put my money where my mouth is’ (in terms of my support of our engagement in Iraq) by serving in the military JAG Corps — or even enlisting as a simple infantryman.