Does Melania Trump still hold US citizenship and when did she naturalize?
Executive summary
Melania Trump is a naturalized U.S. citizen; multiple contemporary reports and official pages say she became a U.S. citizen in 2006 after arriving in the 1990s and moving through work visas and permanent residency [1] [2]. News outlets and public records repeatedly identify her as the only First Lady who naturalized and note she has spoken publicly about taking the Oath of Allegiance and sponsoring family members after becoming a citizen [3] [4] [2].
1. Background: a Slovenian model who built a U.S. immigration path
Melania Knauss (born Melanija Knavs) moved to New York in the mid‑1990s to work as a model and later applied for U.S. immigration benefits that led to permanent residency and, ultimately, citizenship [1] [2]. Reporting from the BBC summarizes that she began applying for an EB‑1 “extraordinary ability” visa in 2000 and was approved around 2001, a step that enabled her later permanent residence and naturalization [1].
2. When she naturalized: the commonly reported date
Multiple outlets and official pages state that Melania Trump became a U.S. citizen in 2006. The BBC notes that becoming a citizen in 2006 allowed her to sponsor her parents; similar timelines appear across profiles and reporting that trace arrival , EB‑1 approval (circa 2001) and naturalization in 2006 [1] [5] [6] [2].
3. Does she still hold U.S. citizenship? — What the sources say
Contemporary reporting and official materials refer to Melania Trump as a U.S. citizen and a naturalized American. The National Archives and Associated Press call her “a naturalized American citizen” and describe her speaking at naturalization ceremonies as a fellow naturalized citizen [3] [7]. The White House biography likewise states she “proudly became a United States Citizen” after moving to New York in 1996 and does not indicate any loss of that status [2]. Available sources do not mention any revocation or loss of her U.S. citizenship.
4. How she became a citizen: visas and controversy
Reporting outlines a stepwise process: initial tourist/worker visas in the 1990s, an EB‑1 visa for “extraordinary ability” around 2001, then permanent residency and naturalization in 2006 [1]. Some outlets note debate and scrutiny over the specifics of her pre‑green card status and the EB‑1 pathway; for example, background pieces and commentary have raised questions about timing and prior work authorization, prompting public discussion though not definitive public findings of wrongdoing [5] [8]. Those sources frame the discussion as scrutiny rather than proven misconduct [5].
5. Public statements and ceremonial roles that reinforce citizenship status
Melania Trump has publicly recounted taking the Oath of Allegiance and described the process as “arduous,” remarks made when she addressed new citizens at a National Archives naturalization ceremony [4] [3]. Her participation in official ceremonies as a naturalized citizen has been reported by the AP and covered by multiple outlets as confirmation of her citizenship status and her role in public civic events [3] [7].
6. Competing narratives and limits of reporting
Mainstream outlets and the White House present a consistent timeline (arrival mid‑1990s, EB‑1 around 2001, naturalization in 2006) and treat her as a continuing U.S. citizen [1] [2]. Some commentary pieces and later political attacks have questioned details of her earlier visa history and suggested further scrutiny, but the materials provided do not document any official revocation or legal determination against her citizenship [5] [8]. Available sources do not mention any court rulings or government actions rescinding her naturalization.
7. What remains unaddressed in available reporting
Publicly available pieces in this set do not provide primary government records (naturalization certificates or USCIS adjudication files) nor do they include any legal filings alleging fraud that resulted in citizenship loss; those documents are not cited here. If you seek formal proof beyond reputable reporting — for example, court records or USCIS documents — those are not found in the current reporting provided (not found in current reporting).
8. Bottom line for readers
Based on the available sources, Melania Trump naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2006 and is consistently described in news reports and official biographical material as a naturalized American citizen; no cited source here reports her citizenship has been revoked or otherwise ended [1] [2] [3]. Where critics or commentators have raised questions about the finer points of her immigration history, those are presented in the sources as disputes or scrutiny, not as settled legal facts [5] [8].