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In the realm of former President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump (née Knauss), a few aspects stand out more prominently or divisively. The questions surrounding the enigmatic status of the former First Lady have only fueled her infamy. Comments from renowned attorney Michael Wildes haven’t precisely hinted that Melania was married before her union with Donald Trump was sealed.
Wildes, who worked for Trump from 1996 to 2022 during his ownership of the Miss Universe competition, informed Univision that Melania obtained her green card in 2001, four years before her marriage to Trump. He stated, “Mrs. Trump received her green card based on marriage in 2006, before which she had a work visa, and she maintained full compliance with her visa requirements, and no aspect of that has been criticized. It’s just simply not accurate.”
Before becoming the First Lady of the United States, She worked as a model, which implies she needed a work visa. Nonetheless, inconsistencies have emerged in Melania’s testimony due to the complex intersection of American immigration laws, legal records, and their relationship history.
What Kind of Visa Melania Had Before Her Marriage Is Unknown
According to The Washington Post, Melania was sponsored for an H-1B work visa in 1996. A story published by Politico indicates that She had done a photo shoot in New York City in 1995, which was later published in the French magazine Max. The New York Post, however, did not align its timeline with Melania’s arrival in America. Politco clarified later that the photos were not shown in Max until 1997.
In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar in 2016, She stated that she would travel to Slovenia periodically to renew her work visa – a practice that raised questions, as the guidelines for H-1B visas at Southern Connecticut State University don’t usually require repetitive renewals. However, She explained to Harper’s Bazaar that after several visa renewals, she applied for her green card in 2001 and was granted it. She subsequently applied for U.S. citizenship.
While a green card can be obtained based on employment rather than marriage, it’s not clear why Wildes claimed Melania received her green card later. When Univision pressed for more details, Wildes commented, “There are parts of the process that are private. Immigration officials don’t comment on this, and neither should we.”
Melania Retains Her Immigrant Status And Marital Background
Understanding the precise details of Melania’s immigration history, given the privacy laws and the complex travel history between Slovenia and the U.S. during the late 1990s and early 2000s due to the strict stance of the Trump administration, has become difficult. However, Melania addressed the issue in a tweet in 2016.
My immigration status in 1996 has been the subject of a lot of false news and disinformation in recent days. Let me clear the air: I have always complied fully with all applicable immigration requirements in this nation. Simply put,” she wrote. Contrary to other stories, I never worked for a Slovenian company while living in the US, and I didn’t get a green card on demand. I proudly became an American citizen in July 2006. I have had the good fortune to live, work, and raise a family in this wonderful country for the past 20 years, and I share my husband’s passion for it.
While the timeline of Donald and Melania’s entire relationship includes a complicated separation in 2000 and a subsequent reunion in 2004, the specifics of Melania’s work visa and compensation as a burgeoning model in the 1990s leave some perplexing discrepancies. However, during the 1990s, there’s no solid evidence that supports the claim that the former First Lady was married before commencing her life with Donald in Mar-a-Lago.