What type of visa did Melania Trump use to enter the US?

1. The Early Arrival Narrative That Keeps Reappearing

Contemporaneous and retrospective accounts consistently state that Melania Trump first arrived in the U.S. in August 1996 on a B‑1/B‑2 (visitor/tourist) category that permits networking and meetings but typically does not authorize paid employment; legal summaries and press reporting repeat this as the initial paper trail ^{[1] [2]}. Reporting from the Associated Press and public broadcasters highlights dates in late 1996 when modeling payments occurred, which anchors the central factual tension: whether some paid assignments fell before formal work authorization was in place ^{[5] [2]}. These accounts do not all claim ill intent; they document a sequence where a visitor entry preceded later visa applications and approvals, and they emphasize specific transaction dates as the basis for questions rather than asserting definitive fraud.

2. The H‑1B Work Visa Piece and Timing Questions

Multiple sources state that an H‑1B work visa was used by or issued to Melania Trump in October 1996, and some summaries argue she began H‑1B status on October 18, 1996, while modeling assignments span September–October 1996 in AP reporting ^{[7] [8] [5]}. This creates a narrow window where paid activity and the start of H‑1B authorization could overlap, and reporting highlights the absence of publicly released H‑1B petition documents to conclusively resolve day‑by‑day status. Coverage diverges in emphasis: some outlets note the administrative plausibility of converting or securing H‑1B classification for models at the time, while investigative reporting points to payment dates and employer paperwork gaps that raise legal questions ^{[6] [5]}.

3. The EB‑1 “Einstein” Green Card and How It’s Framed

By contrast, legal and explanatory pieces focus on her later EB‑1 immigrant petition approved around 2001, describing the EB‑1 as reserved for individuals with extraordinary ability and detailing the evidentiary thresholds required ^{[4] [9]}. These sources frame the EB‑1 approval as a distinct adjudicative milestone: it is the pathway that led to permanent residency and, later, U.S. citizenship. Coverage here splits between straightforward descriptions of eligibility requirements and attention‑seeking headlines that mischaracterize the EB‑1 as only for Nobel‑level talent; legal commentators stress that meeting a subset of criteria, with competent counsel, can secure EB‑1 approval without a single world‑changing prize ^{[4] [9]}.

4. Where Reporting Agrees and Where It Diverges

All accounts converge on the sequence: visitor entry in 1996, subsequent H‑1B or work authorization in late 1996, and EB‑1 green card approval in 2001 leading to citizenship ^{[1] [3] [4]}. They diverge over the precise timing of paid work relative to initial visitor status and over how much weight to give the absence of publicly available petition paperwork when evaluating legitimacy. Investigative outlets emphasize specific paid modeling dates as hard evidence prompting questions, while legal explanations underscore that multiple lawful visa transitions were available and routinely used by models and other entertainers at the time ^{[5] [6] [4]}.

5. What Missing Documents and Different Agendas Mean for the Record

The factual record is constrained by limited public disclosure of the underlying immigration petitions and employer filings, which leaves timing and administrative detail open to interpretation; reporters rely on payment records, visa categories, and immigration timelines to build narratives ^{[5] [7]}. Readers should note that some sources—investigative press pieces—aim to scrutinize potential irregularities and are driven by accountability reporting, whereas law‑firm and explanatory articles often aim to clarify process and defend procedural plausibility; both perspectives present factual elements but differ in emphasis and potential institutional agendas ^{[5] [4]}.