The parents of First Lady Melania Trump have been granted permanent status in the US, said a lawyer.
However, questions remain about how and when they received their green cards.
Donald Trump has railed against so-called chain migration since he launched his bid for the presidency in 2016.
Immigration experts have suggested it is the likeliest way Viktor and Amalija Knavs obtained their residencies, reports The Independent UK on Thursday.
“I can confirm that Mrs Trump’s parents are both lawfully admitted to the United States as permanent residents,” Michael Wildes, the First Lady’s lawyer, told The Washington Post. “The family, as they are not part of the administration, has asked that their privacy be respected, so I will not comment further on this matter.”
Under family-based immigration rules, adult American citizens can apply for parents, adult married children and siblings to gain residency in the US. In the Knavs’ case, Melania would have been their sponsor.
Alternatively, they could have won the right to live in the US through sponsorship by an employer.
However, they would have to have proved that no US worker could have done their designated job.
Kehrela Hodkinson, US immigration lawyer and founder of Hodkinson Law Group, said it was “most likely” Mr and Ms Knavs arrived via family-based immigration.
