What visa did Melania Trump hold when she first entered the United States in 1996?
Executive summary
Contemporary reporting and legal statements say Melania Trump first entered the United States in 1996 on a visitor (B‑1/B‑2) or tourist visa and later obtained H‑1B work authorization in October 1996 before eventually winning an EB‑1 (“extraordinary ability”) green card in 2001 [1] [2] [3]. The Associated Press and multiple news outlets reported she was paid for modeling work between Sept. 10 and Oct. 15, 1996 — a period when her entry visa permitted presence and job hunting but not paid work, according to those accounts [4] [5] [6].
1. Arrival visa: visitor/tourist (B‑1/B‑2) is the consistent account
Multiple outlets and immigration analysts report Melania Trump came to the U.S. in 1996 on a B‑1/B‑2 visitor visa (commonly described as a tourist/business visa), which allows travel, meetings and job seeking but generally does not authorize paid employment [2] [1] [7]. News organizations cite statements from her attorney and immigration-law writeups that place her initial entry in August 1996 on this visitor status [2] [1].
2. Transition to H‑1B work status in October 1996 — the Trump camp’s claim
Her lawyer and several analyses say she obtained H‑1B work authorization on or about Oct. 18, 1996 — a nonimmigrant visa the government issues for certain skilled workers, including fashion models of distinguished merit at the time [8] [2]. Legal commentators note the H‑1B timing is plausible under the caps and rules but also say the Trumps have not produced full visa records publicly; thus precise documentary proof in the public record is limited [8].
3. The AP documents and the core controversy: paid modeling before work visa
Reporting by the Associated Press and follow‑ups found accounting ledgers and contracts showing Melania was paid for about 10 U.S. modeling jobs from Sept. 10 to Oct. 15, 1996 — a seven‑week span before the reported H‑1B approval — and those records underpin criticism that she worked before formal work authorization [4] [5] [9]. AP and PBS emphasize she was in the U.S. and earned roughly $20,000 in that interval while her visa legally "allowed her generally to be in the U.S. and look for work but not perform paid work" [4] [6].
4. Competing narratives: denial, incomplete public records, and legal interpretation
Melania’s attorney and campaign statements have insisted she complied with immigration laws and that she later obtained work visas and a green card legally [10] [3]. Law firms representing her interests and immigration commentators have offered an explanatory timeline: arrival on a B‑1/B‑2, H‑1B approval in October 1996, and self‑petition for an EB‑1 green card in 2000 leading to lawful permanent residence in 2001 [2] [1]. However, public reporting notes that full primary visa records have not been released by the Trumps for independent verification [8] [10].
5. What the records do and do not prove — limits of available reporting
Available reporting documents ledger entries, dates of modeling payments and the lawyers’ public timeline, but it does not show the complete set of consular or DHS records confirming the exact visa foil or stamp dates publicly [4] [8] [10]. Several outlets caution that while the ledgers indicate paid work before a stated H‑1B start date, those documents alone are not an official visa adjudication record; the Trumps’ side points to later H‑1B approvals and the ultimate EB‑1 green card as evidence of lawful status [4] [2].
6. Broader context: EB‑1 scrutiny and political implications
Her later EB‑1 “extraordinary ability” green card — sometimes called the “Einstein visa” — drew scrutiny because the category is for individuals with sustained national or international acclaim; critics and congressional questioners have asked whether a model with catalog work met the standard, while her lawyers say she was qualified and followed lawful procedure [1] [11] [3]. Reporting frames these immigration questions as politically salient because of President Trump’s public immigration stances, which creates competing incentives for both scrutiny and defense in news coverage [3] [11].
7. Bottom line for your query
The best available, contemporaneous reporting and legal statements say she first entered the U.S. in 1996 on a B‑1/B‑2 visitor (tourist/business) visa and then transitioned to H‑1B work status in October 1996, though some reporting documents payments made before the reported H‑1B start date and full visa records have not been publicly produced for independent confirmation [2] [8] [4].