Melania Trump releases letter from immigration lawyer after accusations she entered country illegally

Donald Trump’s wife said the letter from her lawyer shows that she arrived in the US in the 1990s legally

Ms Trump became a US citizen in 2006 (Toni L. Sands/The Washington Post)

Melania Trump has released a letter from her immigration lawyer to stop the speculation that she arrived in the US illegally.

Ms Trump, the third wife of presidential candidate Donald Trump, posted a copy of the letter on social media and wrote she was pleased to show that she went “through the legal process” with “100 per cent certainty”.

Her lawyer, Michael Wildes, wrote: “It has been suggested by various media outlets that in 1995, Mrs Trump illegally worked as a model in the United States while on a visitor visa.

“Following a review of her relevant immigration paperwork, I can unequivocally state that these allegations are not supported by the record, and are therefore completely without merit.”

In August questions arose over the timing of Ms Trump’s arrival to the US after the New York Post re-published photos of the former model at a fashion shoot, which appeared to place her in New York City in 1995, a year earlier than she had claimed to come to the country.

Ms Trump told CNN in February that as a younger model she was required to fly back to her home country of Slovenia to renew her visa every few months.

She said she then applied for a green card and became a naturalised US citizen in 2006.

"I obeyed the law. I did it the right way. I didn't just sneak in here," she said.

She also insisted that her husband’s anti-immigrant rhetoric was only aimed at illegal immigrants, “not everybody”.

"He's not racist, he's not anti-immigrant," she said.

"He wants to keep America safe, he wants to have illegal immigrants taken care of, that they will not be in the country, that they don't pay taxes, that they are criminals and that they are not good for America."

Similar questions have also arisen over whether the possible future First Lady obtained a degree in design and architecture at the University of Slovenia.

Soon after speculation started, her Melaniatrump.com website started to redirect viewers to the website of the Trump Organisation.

Ms Trump has become an increasing focus of the Republican candidate's campaign, after she was accused of plagiarising Michelle Obama's 2008 speech at this year's Republican National Convention.

The Trump campaign released a statement after the convention from staffer Meredith McIver, who accepted responsibility for the error.

Ms Trump has also filed a $150 million lawsuit against the Daily Mail, arguing it published false claims about her past.