Is Melania Trump a U.S. citizen?

Melania Trump‘s immigration background has been a popular topic for public conversation for years. She was born in Slovenia and moved to New York in 1996, with her journey to becoming a U.S. citizen involving applying for several visas, ultimately leading to her naturalization.

While the specifics of her initial immigration status have never been examined closely, the BBC reported that Melania started the process of obtaining permanent residency in 2000 while working as a model in New York. A key part of her journey was her application for the EB-1 visa, often called the “Einstein Visa.” This visa is for individuals considered to have extraordinary abilities and remarkable recognition in their fields. Getting this visa requires strong proof of accomplishments, including major awards, coverage in important media, and original contributions to a profession.

The EB-1 visa application process, though not fully described, requires demonstrating exceptional success in a specific area. This could involve submitting evidence like endorsements from respected professionals. Melania Trump received approval for her EB-1 visa in 2001. She was one of five people who were able to get the EB-1 visa that year, according to The Post.

Does Melania Trump have citizenship?

After Melania received the EB-1 Visa, she worked for her permanent residency and finally U.S. citizenship in 2006. This made her the first First Lady of the United States to be a naturalized citizen and only the second foreign-born First Lady after the British-born Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams.

After becoming a citizen in 2006, Melania sponsored her parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, for green cards and later for citizenship. Amalija Knavs passed away in 2024, while Viktor Knavs still lives in the U.S. and has been seen with the Trump family at public events, including the inauguration.

Melania spoke about her process during a naturalization ceremony where she spoke on the process. Melania said, “My personal experience of traversing the challenges of the immigration process opened my eyes to the harsh realities people face, including you, who try to become U.S. citizens. The pathway to citizenship is arduous; my life turned into labyrinth of organizing paperwork.”

The matter of Melania Trump’s citizenship has been connected with ongoing discussions about birthright citizenship and President Trump’s executive order that aimed to change the 14th Amendment‘s definition of citizenship. This executive order sought to limit birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented parents or certain visa holders. However, this order has faced legal challenges and is still unresolved.

I can attest to Melania’s description of the path to becoming a citizen. While I am a first-generation American, my wife has endured this process for years. It is not as simple as paying a fee (unless you are particularly rich) and takes many years of paperwork and resolving doubts. While our time is almost over, it has cost thousands of dollars and years of waiting for an opportunity to prove she deserves to be in a country she grew up in alongside her husband and family.

Melania Trump earned her right to be a citizen through the same process. It’s unclear what she did to earn such a coveted visa (normally given to extraordinary people who lead their fields), as modeling beating out other fields seems unlikely. However, she was dating Donald Trump as early as 1998, so there could have been some way he helped her cause.