When did Melania Knauss first obtain a US work visa and what type was it?

1. What the record of visa type and timing shows

Multiple news outlets report that Melania Knauss applied for the EB‑1 immigrant visa category (employment‑based, first preference for “extraordinary ability”) beginning in 2000 and that her petition was approved around 2001 ^{[1] [2]}. British GQ and NDTV recount the same timeline: application starting in 2000, legal residency under the EB‑1 program thereafter ^{[5] [6]}. Snopes and other summaries of reporting likewise frame her green card as obtained under the EB‑1 category ^[7].

2. How contemporaneous reporting complicates the timeline

Reporting from the 2016 AP investigation documents a separate earlier episode: AP and PBS reported that Knauss did paid modeling jobs in the U.S. in 1996 — specifically 10 assignments worth about $20,056 — in the seven weeks before she had legal permission to work, per ledgers and contracts from that era ^{[3] [4]}. Visa‑law commentary at the time said her lawyer claimed she “began work on H‑1B status on October 18, 1996,” while other legal observers suggested she obtained an H‑1B visa via consular processing in October 1996 ^[8]. Available sources do not provide a contemporaneous government document in the public record in this selection that definitively shows an H‑1B issuance that month; they report claims and legal analysis ^[8].

3. Competing narratives and where reporting agrees

The consistent points across outlets: 1) Knauss worked as a model in the U.S. in the mid‑1990s; 2) she later sought and obtained permanent residency under the EB‑1 “extraordinary ability” category around 2000–2001 ^{[4] [3] [1] [2]}. The disagreement or uncertainty centers on whether she had legal work authorization in 1996 and on the role, timing and type of any nonimmigrant work visa (H‑1B is cited in some legal commentaries) versus the later immigrant EB‑1 approval ^{[8] [3]}.

4. The H‑1B claim: reporting vs. legal commentary

Some legal commentary and contemporary accounts suggested she began H‑1B status or obtained an H‑1B via consular processing in October 1996 ^[8]. One regional news item later summarized that she “was granted an H1‑B work visa in October 1996” ^[9], but that item appears in a 2025 piece and is a secondary restatement rather than a primary record. The sources in this packet show that Maurice Wildes and other lawyers discussed an October 18, 1996 H‑1B date as a claim, but direct public government confirmation of an H‑1B issuance in these sources is not included here ^{[8] [3]}. Therefore, available sources do not mention an original government record within this collection that definitively confirms an H‑1B stamp or approval on that exact date.

5. What “EB‑1 / Einstein visa” means and why it matters

The EB‑1 category is for permanent residence for people of “extraordinary ability,” and journalists and immigration lawyers have repeatedly highlighted that EB‑1 is intended for high‑profile accomplishments; this is why it’s called the “Einstein visa” in coverage explaining the category ^{[1] [6]}. Coverage has probed whether Knauss’s modeling résumé matched that statutory standard; some outlets note the visa’s limited issuance numbers and that her application relied on modeling credits such as runway shows, a Sports Illustrated swimwear appearance and other publicity ^{[6] [5] [2]}.

6. Gaps, political context and why scrutiny resurfaces

Congressional scrutiny and renewed reporting in 2025‑2026 revisited her EB‑1 path, reflecting political interest in whether high‑profile cases fit the intended standard for “extraordinary ability” ^{[10] [2]}. The packet shows repeated journalistic interest but not a single, unambiguous public primary document here proving every step (application date, consular visas, or adjudication paperwork). In short: reporting consistently attributes an EB‑1 approval around 2001 and notes modeling work in 1996 before claimed authorization; assertions about an October 1996 H‑1B appear in legal commentary and some later summaries but are not corroborated by primary government documents in these sources ^{[1] [3] [8]}.

7. Bottom line for your question

Answering precisely: available reporting in this collection says she began the EB‑1 application in 2000 and was granted that EB‑1 green card around 2001 ^{[1] [2]}. Separate reporting documents paid U.S. modeling work in 1996 and cites claims by counsel and immigration lawyers that she began H‑1B status (or obtained an H‑1B via consulate) in October 1996, but a definitive government visa record for that H‑1B date is not present in the provided sources ^{[3] [8]}.