M.I.A. granted U.S. visa after legal battle

Controversial rapper M.I.A. has been granted a U.S. visa after a legal battle to obtain permission to enter the country.

The British-born star, real name Mathangi Arulpragasam, revealed earlier this year (16) that she would be unable to promote her album AIM in the U.S. as she was unable to obtain a visa allowing her to travel to and work in the country.

She later said in a chat on the video streaming app Periscope that she had contacted immigration lawyers in an attempt to resolve the issue.

M.I.A. even included a song on her album titled Visa, which poked fun at her difficulties with U.S. immigration authorities.

However the Paper Planes singer, 41, revealed she had obtained the permit on Instagram, posting a picture of a text message which read, "Your visa has been approved".

Representatives for the star later confirmed to editors at Pitchfork Media that U.S. immigration officials had granted her a visa.

This year's visa woes aren't the first time the star has had problems traveling to the U.S., as in 2006 she was also temporarily denied entry to the country due to visa complications.

The musician, who lived in war torn Sri Lanka as a child and has been a vocal critic of U.S. foreign policy, sparked outrage in the U.S. when performing at the 2012 Super Bowl event.

During her half-time performance alongside Madonna at the prestigious American football event, the star flashed a middle finger at the TV cameras.

She was later sued by bosses at America's National Football League (NFL) for $16.6 million over the incident. The claim was settled by both parties in 2014 on undisclosed terms.