What immigration status did Melania Trump hold before becoming a U.S. citizen (visa types and timing)?
Executive summary
Melania Trump first arrived in the United States in 1996 on a visitor (B‑1/B‑2) or tourist visa, then moved to one or more H‑1B work visas starting in October 1996, later self‑petitioned for and received an EB‑1 “extraordinary ability” employment‑based green card (approved in 2001), and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2006 [1] [2] [3] [4]. Reporting differs on the exact timing of work authorization in 1996 and on whether some paid modeling occurred before an H‑1B was active [5] [6].
1. Arrival on a visitor/tourist visa — “networking, not work”
Contemporaneous coverage and later summaries report that Melania (then Melania Knauss/Knavs) came to New York in 1996 on a visitor/tourist (B‑1/B‑2) visa, which permits business meetings and tourism but not paid employment [2] [7]. That status is the starting point in nearly every timeline published about her immigration history [2] [5].
2. Transition to H‑1B work visas — October 1996 date given by her lawyers
Her attorney and several legal summaries say she was approved for an H‑1B work visa in October 1996 and that she held “several” H‑1B approvals while modeling in New York; that visa category authorizes employment in specialty occupations and—according to reporting—was used to permit her modeling work [2] [8] [9]. Sources repeat October 18, 1996 as a date offered by the Trump side for a switch to H‑1B status, though documentation has not been fully released publicly [6] [2].
3. Reporting of paid modeling before work authorization — competing accounts
The Associated Press and PBS reported ledger and contract evidence that Melania was paid for 10 U.S. modeling jobs between Sept. 10 and Oct. 15, 1996—during what they say was the period before legal work authorization—while her lawyers maintain she began authorized H‑1B work on or about Oct. 18, 1996 [5] [6] [10]. Analysts and immigration lawyers told reporters this creates a seven‑week window that could indicate unauthorized work, though the Trumps’ side disputes the characterization and full records have not been made public [5] [6].
4. EB‑1 “Einstein” green card — applied in 2000, approved in 2001
Multiple outlets report that Melania self‑sponsored an employment‑based EB‑1 immigrant petition in 2000 and was awarded permanent resident status (an EB‑1 green card) in 2001, a category reserved for individuals of “extraordinary ability” with “sustained national or international acclaim” [4] [2] [3]. News coverage notes controversy about whether her modeling résumé met the program’s high standards and that she was one of only a handful of Slovenians to receive that category in that year [4] [11].
5. Naturalization timing — citizenship in 2006
Sources state she became a U.S. citizen in 2006 after meeting the residency requirements following receipt of her green card in 2001; her attorney has repeatedly said she followed lawful processes from H‑1B to green card to naturalization [3] [2]. Reporting also records that she later sponsored family members—an action that became politically salient given presidential immigration priorities [12] [3].
6. Where accounts disagree and why transparency matters
Public reporting converges on the broad sequence—visitor visa → H‑1B → EB‑1 green card → citizenship —but diverges on precise dates and on whether she was paid for modeling in the weeks before formal H‑1B authorization. The gaps exist because full immigration records have not been released publicly and because the Trumps’ statements and third‑party documents (ledgers, contracts, interviews) give different emphases [5] [6] [2]. That ambiguity is central to debates about equal application of immigration rules [11] [13].
7. Political and legal context — why the timeline matters
The EB‑1 category’s elite label (“Einstein visa”) and the fact that Melania later sponsored relatives have made her case politically charged, especially given her husband’s public stances on immigration. Critics argue the EB‑1 award raises questions about preferential treatment; defenders point to legal advocacy and the argument that applicants can meet EB‑1 criteria through documented achievements and expert representation [4] [12] [2].
Limitations and next steps: available sources do not include Melania Trump’s full immigration file; claims about exact H‑1B start dates and any unauthorized work rest on reporting and partial documents cited by the AP and others [5] [6]. For definitive, court‑grade answers, request of official USCIS records or release of her immigration file would be necessary—neither is present in the reporting cited here [5] [2].