When did Melania Trump obtain U.S. citizenship and what was the timeline of her immigration status?
Executive summary
Melania Trump became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2006, after a sequence of visas and a green card obtained during the late 1990s and early 2000s while she worked as a model in New York [1] [2]. Public reporting traces her arrival to the U.S. around 1996, approval of an EB‑1 (“extraordinary ability”) visa in 2001, and naturalization in 2006, though details about some intermediate statuses remain described differently across outlets [1] [2] [3].
1. Arrival and early status: model in New York
Melania Knauss moved from Slovenia to New York in the mid‑1990s to work as a model; most accounts place that move around 1996 and say she initially entered on a visitor visa before switching to work‑authorized status [1] [3]. News organizations reporting on her background emphasize that she worked in the U.S. as a fashion model during this period and that the precise timelines of which visa she held at every moment have been the subject of scrutiny in later years [3] [1].
2. The “Einstein”/EB‑1 pathway and 2001 approval
Multiple reports identify an immigrant visa reserved for people of “extraordinary ability” — commonly reported as EB‑1 — as the pathway that allowed her to remain and work, and they note she began applying in 2000 and was approved in 2001 [1]. The BBC explains she applied for that specialist visa in 2000 and was among a small number from Slovenia approved in 2001, which fits accounts that cite a high‑skill immigrant category as a key step [1].
3. Green card to naturalization: 2001–2006
Sources indicate she obtained lawful permanent residence (a green card) after the EB‑1 approval and then naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2006 [2] [1]. Summaries used in later reporting and commentary state she became a naturalized American in 2006 and thereafter sponsored family members, a common consequence of citizenship noted in the sources [2] [1].
4. Dual citizenship and political controversy
Reporting repeatedly notes she maintained Slovenian citizenship alongside U.S. citizenship; commentators and recent legislation proposals that would bar dual citizenship have spotlighted her as an example of someone who is a dual national [4] [5]. Newsweek and other outlets have discussed how such proposals could affect her and her son Barron, who are publicly described as holding both U.S. and Slovenian citizenship [4] [5].
5. Areas of dispute and gaps in public record
While the broad sequence — arrival in the 1990s, EB‑1 approval in 2001, and naturalization in 2006 — is consistent across sources, reporting also flags inconsistencies and unanswered questions about the precise visa she held at particular moments and whether she worked while on any visitor status [3]. Some outlets have probed earlier public statements and the record for contradictions; those questions are noted in the sources but not resolved there [3].
6. Why the visa type matters in coverage
Coverage has focused on the EB‑1/“extraordinary ability” category because that visa is relatively rare and carries a different public perception than family‑ or employer‑sponsored visas; the Washington Post and BBC framed it as the specialist visa that enabled her long‑term stay before naturalization [1]. Critics and supporters use the visa narrative differently: critics raise questions about access and fairness, while advocates note that the law allows high‑skill and celebrated figures to qualify [1].
7. What reporting does not say (limits of available sources)
Available sources do not provide a full, day‑by‑day immigration file or a government‑issued timeline of every status change; they summarize key milestones (arrival in the mid‑1990s, EB‑1 approval in 2001, naturalization in 2006) and note areas of inconsistent public statements without resolving them [3] [1]. They also do not offer primary source documents such as visa petitions or naturalization certificates in the excerpts provided here [3] [1].
8. Bottom line for readers
Contemporary reporting agrees on the headline dates: arrival mid‑1990s, EB‑1 approval around 2001, and U.S. naturalization in 2006; the remaining controversy is about specifics of intermediate statuses and public statements, which the cited coverage highlights but does not conclusively settle [1] [2] [3]. If you need a definitive legal timeline beyond these reported milestones, the available reporting does not include primary immigration records; that would require official documents or direct disclosure not contained in these sources [3] [1].