USCIS Immigration Intelligence MCP — Processing Times & H-1B Data

Get current USCIS immigration processing times and H-1B employer approval data via a fully MCP-compatible server. Track wait times for I-485 (green card), N-400 (citizenship), H-1B, I-130, I-765, and 50+ other forms across all USCIS service centers. Works directly with Claude Desktop, Cursor, GPT-4 plugins, and any MCP client. No API key required.

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What This Actor Does

USCIS publishes current processing times for every form type through a live JSON API. This actor fetches that data, normalises it into clean per-form-per-office records, and makes it queryable through an MCP server. It also downloads and caches the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub CSV (FY2023), enabling queries about top H-1B sponsors, approval rates, and denial rates by company.

In batch mode, the actor fetches all processing time data and pushes it to the Apify dataset along with the top H-1B employers you configure.

In MCP server mode, the actor starts a lightweight HTTP server on port 4321 and stays alive for up to 24 hours. Your AI assistant can call any of the 4 MCP tools in real time.

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Data Sources

Source	Endpoint	Auth	Update Frequency
USCIS Processing Times API	https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/api/processingTimes.json	None	Weekly
USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub	https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/H-1B_FY2023_Employer_Data_Hub.csv	None	Annual (FY)

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MCP Tools

get_processing_times

Query current processing times for a specific form type, office, and/or visa subtype.

{
  "name": "get_processing_times",
  "arguments": {
    "form_type": "I-485",
    "office": "NBC",
    "subtype": "Employment-Based"
  }
}

Returns records with: form_type, form_name, office, office_code, subtype, processing_months (midpoint), min_months, max_months, last_updated, source.

Available form types: I-90, I-129, I-129F, I-130, I-131, I-140, I-290B, I-360, I-485, I-485J, I-526, I-539, I-600, I-601A, I-687, I-730, I-751, I-765, I-800, I-821D, I-829, I-914, I-918, N-336, N-400, N-600, N-600K

Service center codes: NBC, TSC, NSC, CSC, VSC, MSC, IOE

list_all_forms

Get a summary of all USCIS forms with current processing time data — average, min, and max months across all service centers.

{
  "name": "list_all_forms",
  "arguments": {}
}

Returns one record per form type with: average processing months, min/max range, number of offices handling that form, and a list of applicable subtypes.

compare_service_centers

Compare processing times for the same form across all USCIS service centers, sorted fastest to slowest.

{
  "name": "compare_service_centers",
  "arguments": {
    "form_type": "I-765"
  }
}

Useful for understanding geographic processing disparities. USCIS does not allow applicants to choose a service center (assignment is automatic based on location), but attorneys can advise clients based on where their case will route.

get_h1b_employers

Top H-1B sponsoring employers from the USCIS FY2023 Employer Data Hub, sorted by initial approvals.

{
  "name": "get_h1b_employers",
  "arguments": {
    "limit": 50,
    "state": "CA"
  }
}

Returns: employer_name, initial_approvals, initial_denials, continuing_approvals, continuing_denials, total_approvals, approval_rate_pct, state, city, naics_code.

Filter by state (e.g. CA, NY, TX, WA) or query for partial employer name match.

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Input Parameters (Batch Mode)

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
formType	string	""	USCIS form number (e.g. I-485, N-400)
office	string	""	Service center code/name
subtype	string	""	Visa category / petition subtype
h1bLimit	integer	25	Number of H-1B employers to include
serveMcp	boolean	false	Start MCP server on port 4321

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Output Record Schema

Processing Time Record

{
  "form_type": "I-485",
  "form_name": "Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status",
  "office": "National Benefits Center",
  "office_code": "NBC",
  "subtype": "Employment-Based Adjustment",
  "processing_months": 13.5,
  "min_months": 7.0,
  "max_months": 20.0,
  "last_updated": "June 15, 2024",
  "source": "uscis.gov"
}

H-1B Employer Record

{
  "rank": 1,
  "employer_name": "INFOSYS LIMITED",
  "initial_approvals": 28467,
  "initial_denials": 892,
  "continuing_approvals": 31204,
  "continuing_denials": 445,
  "total_approvals": 59671,
  "approval_rate_pct": 98.5,
  "state": "TX",
  "city": "IRVING",
  "naics_code": "541512",
  "source": "uscis.gov/h1b-employer-data-hub",
  "fiscal_year": "FY2023"
}

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USCIS Form Reference

Form	Description
I-485	Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status
I-130	Petition for Alien Relatives (family-based green card)
I-140	Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers (EB-1, EB-2, EB-3)
I-129	Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker (H-1B, L-1, O-1, TN)
I-765	Application for Employment Authorization Document (EAD)
I-90	Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card
I-131	Application for Travel Document (Advance Parole, Re-entry Permit)
I-539	Application to Extend or Change Nonimmigrant Status
I-751	Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence (conditional green card)
I-526	Immigrant Petition by Alien Investor (EB-5)
I-821D	Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
N-400	Application for Naturalization
N-600	Application for Certificate of Citizenship

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Service Center Reference

Code	Full Name	Primary Jurisdiction
NBC	National Benefits Center	Domestic adjustment of status
TSC	Texas Service Center	South-central US, some H-1B
NSC	Nebraska Service Center	Central US, employment-based
CSC	California Service Center	West Coast, some H-1B
VSC	Vermont Service Center	Northeast US
MSC	Missouri Service Center	Inland US
IOE	USCIS Electronic Immigration System	Online-filed petitions

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Example Use Cases

Q: How long is the I-485 green card wait at NBC vs. TSC?

Tool: compare_service_centers
form_type: I-485

Q: What is the current processing time for naturalization (N-400)?

Tool: get_processing_times
form_type: N-400

Q: Which tech companies sponsor the most H-1B workers in California?

Tool: get_h1b_employers
state: CA, limit: 25

Q: What are all the forms USCIS is currently processing and how long does each take?

Tool: list_all_forms

Q: How long does an I-765 EAD take at each service center?

Tool: compare_service_centers
form_type: I-765

Q: What is Amazon's H-1B approval rate?

Tool: get_h1b_employers
query: Amazon, limit: 5

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Use Cases by Audience

Immigration attorneys: Give clients accurate processing time estimates by form type and service center. Track processing changes week-to-week by comparing actor runs.

HR immigration teams: Know how long sponsored employees will wait for EAD renewals, H-1B extensions, and green cards. Plan onboarding and project staffing accordingly.

Visa applicants: Understand whether your case is taking longer than the published processing window before filing a service request.

Researchers and journalists: Analyze H-1B employer data for stories about labor market dependence on foreign talent, industry concentration, and approval rate disparities.

Recruiting / talent acquisition: Identify the top H-1B sponsors in a given state or industry. Useful for competitive intelligence in tech, healthcare, consulting, and finance sectors.

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H-1B Data Notes

• Data is from USCIS FY2023 Employer Data Hub (most recently published complete year)
• "Initial" approvals/denials = new H-1B petitions
• "Continuing" approvals/denials = extensions or amendments for existing H-1B holders
• Approval rate is calculated as (initial_approvals + continuing_approvals) / total_petitions
• NAICS codes identify the employer's industry sector
• Large staffing firms (Infosys, Tata, Wipro, Cognizant) typically dominate by volume

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MCP Server Mode

Set serveMcp: true to start the MCP server. Configure your MCP client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "uscis": {
      "url": "http://<apify-run-hostname>:4321"
    }
  }
}

Endpoints:

• GET /mcp/tools — returns all 4 tool schemas
• POST /mcp/call — invoke a tool with {"name": "...", "arguments": {...}}
• GET /health — liveness check (also shows record counts)

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Error Handling

All tools catch exceptions and return structured error records rather than crashing:

[{"_meta": {"error": "...", "fallback_tried": true}}]

If the USCIS processing times API is unavailable, tools return error meta-records. If the H-1B CSV fails to download (CDN issues, URL rotation), get_h1b_employers returns an error record with the attempted source URL.

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License

USCIS data is in the public domain (US government work). Actor code is MIT-licensed.