Melania Trump was paid for modelling jobs in US before getting work visa
Melania Trump may have violated immigration rules by doing 10 modeling jobs in the United States worth $20,056 that occurred in the seven weeks before she had legal permission to work in the country in 1996, according to a report by Associated Press based on documents in its possession.
Melania Trump may have violated immigration rules by doing 10 modelling jobs in the United States worth $20,056 that occurred in the seven weeks before she had legal permission to work in the country in 1996, according to a report by Associated Press based on documents in its possession.
The wife of Donald Trump, Melania, who was born and raised in Slovenia, came to the US on August 27, 1996 on B-1/B-2 visa that allowed her to stay but not work against payment, and obtained an H-1B visa, meant for highly skilled professionals, on October 18 the same year.
But AP reported, citing documents, she accepted payments for the modelling assignments between September 19 and October 15 when she should not have been performing paid work.
The violation is unlikely to affect her citizenship status — she obtained a Green Card in 2001 and citizenship in 2006, a year after marrying Trump — but it would raise questions about the nominee’s commitment issue of illegal immigration.
Trump has taken a hardline position on illegal immigration and has threatened to build a wall along the border with Mexico to prevent illegal immigrants.
AP said in a report: “Some ledgers obtained by the AP identify Mrs. Trump by her professional name and detail her involvement with the modelling agency from July 18, 1996, through September 26, 1997.
“Other documents from the same accounting ledgers identify Mrs. Trump as Melanija Knaus and list $20,526 in gross earnings for the period before she was granted her work visa on October 18, 1996. The documents also show the modelling company paid for her rent, lent her money and paid for her pager.”
