How did Melania Trump get her citizenship?

1. The documented timeline: tourist to worker, green card to citizenship

Public reporting traces Melania Knauss’s U.S. journey from arrival in New York in 1996 on a visitor visa to seeking a worker visa as a model, winning an EB‑1 (extraordinary ability) immigrant visa in 2001, receiving a green card that year, and becoming a U.S. citizen on July 28, 2006 ^{[3] [1] [2]}. The Associated Press summarizes her account that she began with a worker visa tied to modeling work and later naturalized ^[4].

2. What an EB‑1 "extraordinary ability" visa means in reporting

The EB‑1 immigrant category is described in reporting as for individuals with "extraordinary ability" and "sustained national and international acclaim"; the Washington Post, cited by the BBC, reported Melania won that visa in 2001 and was one of only five Slovenian nationals to do so that year ^[3]. Independent commentary in later articles notes lawyers can present evidence to frame a candidate’s career to meet EB‑1 standards, and immigration specialists say EB‑1 approvals are possible for people not widely known to the public ^[5].

3. Points of dispute and public scrutiny

Although mainstream outlets report the EB‑1 route and the 2001 approval, critics and some commentators have questioned details of timing and work authorization prior to visa approval; an immigration‑focused site warned that working on a visitor visa would be unauthorized, while noting that heightened review can lead to scrutiny of modeling work before visa issuance ^[6]. However, available sources do not present proof that any legal requirements were violated in Melania Trump’s case; rather, they report the route she took and note public curiosity and controversy ^{[3] [7]}.

4. Family sponsorship and the political lens

Melania’s naturalization in 2006 allowed her to sponsor family members: her parents later obtained U.S. residency and citizenship, a fact that reporters and critics flagged as politically sensitive given Donald Trump’s public criticisms of "chain migration" ^{[2] [1]}. News coverage about proposed laws to bar dual citizenship has repeatedly used Melania and her son Barron as examples of how such policies could affect prominent families, underscoring the political stakes around her immigration history ^{[8] [9] [10]}.

5. Melania’s own statements and public appearances

In rare public remarks at a 2023 naturalization ceremony she emphasized that the "pathway to citizenship is arduous" and framed her experience as starting with research and visits to embassies to secure a worker visa upon arriving in New York during her modeling career ^{[11] [4]}. Those remarks align with reporting that treats her naturalization as the result of a multi‑step legal process ^{[4] [1]}.

6. Limitations of the record and where reporting diverges

Sources consistently state the broad steps (1996 arrival, 2001 EB‑1/green card, 2006 naturalization), but documents such as the actual visa application, supporting evidence used for EB‑1 approval, and USCIS adjudicative records are not included in the reporting provided here; those primary records are not quoted in these sources ^{[3] [1] [2]}. Some outlets include analysis or speculation about how straightforward or difficult securing an EB‑1 can be and about possible gaps or timing issues, but those critiques are based on expert commentary and not on disclosed government records in the supplied reporting ^{[6] [5]}.

7. Bottom line for readers

Available reporting shows Melania Trump legally naturalized in 2006 after an immigration path reported as: visitor entry in 1996, pursuit of a worker visa, EB‑1 immigrant visa approval in 2001 that led to a green card, then U.S. citizenship in 2006 ^{[3] [1] [2]}. Reporting also highlights political controversy and legal debate about dual citizenship and family sponsorship tied to her case, and acknowledges that independent confirmation of underlying immigration files is not present in the cited coverage ^{[8] [9] [6]}.