How did U.S. immigration records classify Melania Trump's status between 1996 and 2001?
Executive summary
U.S. reporting and statements from Melania Trump’s lawyer say she first entered the United States in August 1996 on a B‑1/B‑2 visitor visa and was then issued H‑1B work visas beginning in October 1996 with multiple renewals through 2001, when she became a lawful permanent resident (green card) on March 19, 2001 [1]. Independent reporting by the Associated Press and PBS documents that she was paid for modeling assignments in September–October 1996 before she had documented work authorization in the U.S., a discrepancy that reporters and critics have highlighted [2] [3].
1. How official statements classify her early status — visitor then H‑1B visas
Melania Trump’s immigration lawyer Michael Wildes told reporters that she first arrived on August 27, 1996 pursuant to a B‑1/B‑2 visitor visa and that she was then issued an H‑1B visa in October 1996 to pursue modeling work; Wildes said she was “consistently issued H‑1B visas, five in total, between October 1996 and 2001,” and that she became a lawful permanent resident on March 19, 2001 [1].
2. Documentary reporting that complicates the timeline — paid work before work authorization
The Associated Press obtained ledgers and contracts showing payments for 10 U.S. modeling jobs between Sept. 10 and Oct. 15, 1996 — a period when a B‑1/B‑2 visitor visa would not permit paid work — and PBS summarized AP’s findings that those payments totaled about $20,056, raising questions about whether some modeling occurred before formal work authorization [2] [3].
3. How later biographies and official pages summarize her status
Official and reference profiles state the outcome of the immigration process: she received a green card in March 2001 and naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2006, and is described as a naturalized first lady in White House and historical association bios [4] [5]. Encyclopedic entries such as Wikipedia and Britannica also record the green card date (March 2001) and later citizenship in 2006 [6] [7].
4. Media context and the “EB‑1/extraordinary ability” claim
News outlets, including the BBC and other reporting summarized by the Washington Post, have noted that Melania later secured an EB‑1 immigrant visa category (for “extraordinary ability”), which led to debate over whether her modeling credentials fit that classification; the BBC reported she came first on a tourist visa and then on “a string of working visas for skilled immigrants,” per her lawyer [8].
5. Disputes, limitations and competing narratives
There are two competing narratives in the record: Wildes’ account — asserting lawful entries, H‑1B issuance beginning October 1996, five H‑1Bs through 2001, and lawful permanent residency in March 2001 — and contemporaneous AP/PBS reporting documenting payroll ledgers that show payments in a window when she was on a visitor visa and not authorized to work. Wildes says records support his timeline; AP says ledgers show paid work before documented U.S. work authorization [1] [2] [3].
6. What the available sources do not confirm
Available sources do not mention the immigration agency’s original internal adjudication files or release of the full U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) case file that would definitively reconcile whether each assignment between July and October 1996 was performed in the U.S., under what exact visa status, or whether any retroactive remedies were sought (not found in current reporting). Sources also do not provide the raw H‑1B petitions or consular stamps to independently verify dates beyond the lawyer’s letter and journalistic documents (not found in current reporting).
7. Why this matters — legal and political stakes
The dispute centers on timing and legality of work: working while on a visitor visa can, in other cases, jeopardize later changes of status; critics pointed to AP’s ledger evidence as relevant to public debate because Donald Trump emphasized immigration enforcement during his campaigns. Supporters point to Wildes’ review and his claim of consistent H‑1B issuance and lawful adjustment to residency in 2001 [3] [1].
8. Bottom line for readers
Contemporaneous public records and reporting present a mixed picture: Melania Trump’s lawyer states the record shows arrival on a visitor visa in August 1996 followed by H‑1B visas from October 1996 through 2001 and a green card in March 2001 [1]. Independent reporting from the Associated Press and PBS documents payments for modeling in September–October 1996 before documented U.S. work authorization, creating an unresolved discrepancy in public accounts [2] [3].