When did melonia move to the us

1. The simple answer journalists repeat: moved to New York in 1996

Most biographical summaries state that Melania (née Melanija Knavs) left Slovenia for New York in 1996 to further a modeling career; that is the year commonly given for her move to the United States ^{[1] [2]}. Official and media profiles used in 2024–25 reporting restate 1996 as the turning point when she relocated to New York ^[2].

2. Immigration status milestones often reported alongside the move

Sources note two commonly cited follow-ups to the move: she reportedly obtained a U.S. green card via an EB‑1 visa in 2001, and she became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2006 ^[1]. Newsweek’s profile and embassy biographical material both put those dates alongside the 1996 arrival, offering a timeline of relocation, legal residency, then citizenship ^{[1] [2]}.

3. Why different outlets focus on “where she lives” now

Recent reporting shifts from “when did she move to the U.S.?” toward “where does she live now?” because Melania’s residence patterns have been politically newsworthy. Outlets report she spends much of her time in New York and Palm Beach and has at times “eschewed the nation’s capital” during President Trump’s later term, prompting stories about whether she will make the White House her main residence ^{[4] [3]}. The Independent and CNN both highlight that she intends to split time among a private White House apartment, New York, and Mar‑a‑Lago, with New York often described as her preferred base while her son attended school there ^{[3] [4]}.

4. Discrepancies and how sources frame the move

Biographical facts (1996 move, 2001 green card, 2006 citizenship) appear consistently across encyclopedic, news and government profiles cited here ^{[1] [2]}. Where accounts diverge is in emphasis: People, The Independent and CNN frame the 1996 move as the start of her U.S. life but focus their reporting on her contemporary residence choices and role as first lady rather than contesting the 1996 date ^{[3] [4] [5]}. No source in the provided set disputes the 1996 arrival date.

5. What the sources do not say

Available sources do not mention any earlier U.S. visits or permanent relocation before 1996, nor do they provide immigration documents in full. If you are looking for primary immigration records or a precise month/day in 1996 of arrival, that specific detail is not contained in the cited material (not found in current reporting).

6. Context: why that move matters politically and culturally

Profiles tie Melania’s 1996 move to her later public roles—modeling success, business ventures, and eventual position as first lady. Reporting since 2024–25 has used her U.S. migration and naturalization timeline to contextualize her public identity and to explain debates about where she should live during her husband’s presidency; outlets note her preference for New York and Palm Beach and her relatively limited time in Washington during later coverage ^{[1] [3] [4]}.

7. How to verify further if you need it

If you need documentary confirmation beyond these media and government bios—such as passenger records, visa files, or naturalization paperwork—those specifics are not supplied in the current set of sources. The cited materials (Newsweek, U.S. Embassy bio, People, CNN) are secondary-source summaries that consistently give 1996 as the year she moved to New York and list 2001 (green card) and 2006 (citizenship) as subsequent milestones ^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}.