Was Melania Trump a permanent resident before marrying Donald Trump?

1. What the record of public reporting says

Contemporary news outlets and biographical entries report that Melania Knauss became a lawful permanent resident in 2001 and later naturalized in 2006; multiple accounts identify the EB‑1 “extraordinary ability” route (sometimes called the “Einstein visa”) as the basis for her green card rather than a marriage-based petition ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Newsweek and the BBC summarized the timeline: arrival in the U.S. in the mid‑1990s on short‑term visas, an application for the EB‑1 category around 2000, and formal admission as an LPR on March 19, 2001, according to statements from her attorney ^{[2] [3]}.

2. Lawyer statements and the sources of confusion

Michael Wildes, who has represented Melania Trump, has publicly defended that she “obtained her Green Card legally” and was “eligible for the Extraordinary Ability Green Card,” but reporting notes Wildes made at least one inconsistent public comment—initially saying her 2001 green card was based on marriage, then correcting that she self‑sponsored under extraordinary ability—which became a focal point for scrutiny ^{[2] [4]}. That back‑and‑forth is central to why the question persists in public debate ^[2].

3. Why the EB‑1 narrative matters

An EB‑1 green card is an employment‑based pathway granted for sustained national or international acclaim; the Washington Post and BBC reporting cited by outlets indicate Melania’s modeling career and U.S. work as the factual basis for that claim ^[3]. If a green card is employment‑based, marriage to a U.S. citizen is not the legal mechanism for obtaining permanent residency—this distinction underlies much of the corrective reporting that emphasizes she had permanent residency before marriage ^{[1] [3]}.

4. Persistent gaps and areas reporters flagged

Reporting also records unresolved details: some earlier statements and timelines around when she worked in the U.S. and what visas she held during the late 1990s raised questions—most notably whether she worked in the U.S. earlier than publicly stated and what exact temporary visas she used before the green card ^{[2] [5]}. News outlets and fact‑checking pieces note those discrepancies without concluding criminality; they note instead inconsistent public statements and the resulting speculation ^{[2] [5]}.

5. Congressional and public interest renewed recently

Melania’s visa history reappeared in public hearings and media coverage as late as 2025; recent Newsweek coverage referenced a House hearing and reiterated that her attorney maintains she lawfully obtained the EB‑1 green card, while outside experts also commented on the rarity of EB‑1 approvals from Slovenia in 2001 ^[4]. That congressional attention is part reporting, part political debate, which helps explain why scrutiny continues ^[4].

6. What reliable sources do not say

Available sources do not provide primary immigration documents or government adjudication records in the materials you supplied; reporting relies on attorney statements, contemporaneous press reporting and secondary reporting by established outlets ^{[2] [3]}. Available sources do not assert she obtained permanent residency through marriage to Donald Trump; instead they report she received it before the marriage and via employment-based criteria ^{[2] [3]}.

7. Bottom line for readers

Based on the reporting in the provided sources, Melania Trump was a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) in 2001—four years before her 2005 marriage to Donald Trump—and her legal team says the green card came through the EB‑1 “extraordinary ability” category rather than marriage ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Reporting also documents inconsistent past public statements from her attorney and unresolved details about her visa history in the late 1990s, which is why questions and political debate have persisted ^{[2] [5]}.