# ImmigrationLayer — Developer Docs (full reference)

> Context7 fixed stale library docs for coding agents. ImmigrationLayer does the same for USCIS
> form editions, fees, processing times, and the Visa Bulletin. One URL, six tools, every answer
> cited. Not legal advice.

## Quick start

### Claude Code

Adds the server as a remote MCP connector over Streamable HTTP.

```
claude mcp add --transport http immigration-layer https://mcp.immigrationlayer.com/mcp
```

### Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json.

```
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "immigration-layer": {
      "url": "https://mcp.immigrationlayer.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### curl

The MCP endpoint speaks JSON-RPC over HTTP, not a plain REST GET - there is no REST API yet (tracked in #50). This calls check_form_edition, which needs no Authorization header. Gated tools need "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY", an API key from your account page.

```
curl https://mcp.immigrationlayer.com/mcp \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -H "accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": 1,
    "method": "tools/call",
    "params": { "name": "check_form_edition", "arguments": { "form": "I-765" } }
  }'
```

## Tools

Generated from the same zod schemas workers/mcp registers each tool with.

### `check_form_edition`

Current USCIS-accepted edition of a form, its accepted-from and rejected-from dates, and the alert that announced it. Free, no sign-in required. Not legal advice. Source: the form's page on uscis.gov.

| Argument | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `form` | `string` | Yes | USCIS form number, e.g. "I-765" |

```
check_form_edition({ form: "I-765" })
```

```json
{
  "data": {
    "form": "I-765",
    "edition_date": "09/15/26",
    "accept_from": "2026-09-15",
    "reject_from": null
  },
  "as_of": "2026-09-15T00:00:00Z",
  "source_url": "https://www.uscis.gov/i-765",
  "content_hash": "sha256:example",
  "not_legal_advice": true
}
```

### `list_form_changes`

Form edition and alert changes published since a date. Free, no sign-in required. Not legal advice. Source: uscis.gov form pages and the USCIS newsroom alerts page.

| Argument | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `since` | `string` | Yes | ISO 8601 date/time; returns changes after this timestamp |

```
list_form_changes({ since: "2026-08-01" })
```

```json
{
  "data": {
    "form_editions": [
      {
        "kind": "inserted",
        "changed_at": "2026-09-15T00:00:00Z",
        "form": "I-765",
        "edition_date": "09/15/26",
        "accept_from": "2026-09-15",
        "reject_from": null,
        "source_url": "https://www.uscis.gov/i-765",
        "content_hash": "sha256:example"
      }
    ],
    "alerts": [
      {
        "id": "alert_123",
        "published_at": "2026-08-14T00:00:00Z",
        "title": "USCIS to publish new editions of Form I-539 and Form I-765",
        "url": "https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/example",
        "summary": null,
        "forms_json": "[\"I-539\",\"I-765\"]",
        "content_hash": "sha256:example"
      }
    ]
  },
  "as_of": "2026-09-15T00:00:00Z",
  "source_url": "https://www.uscis.gov/i-765",
  "content_hash": "sha256:example",
  "not_legal_advice": true
}
```

### `get_fee` (sign-in required)

Filing fee and effective date for a USCIS form. Requires sign-in at https://immigrationlayer.com. Not legal advice. Source: the USCIS fee schedule (Form G-1055).

| Argument | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `form` | `string` | Yes | USCIS form number, e.g. "I-765" |
| `filing` | `paper \| online` | Yes | Filing method |
| `category` | `string` | No | Eligibility category, when the fee depends on it |

```
get_fee({ form: "I-765", filing: "online" })
```

Not implemented yet - always returns a sign-in prompt.

### `get_processing_time` (sign-in required)

USCIS processing-time estimate for a form (a percentile-basis figure, e.g. "80% of cases completed within N months"; unit varies by category). Requires sign-in at https://immigrationlayer.com. Not legal advice. Source: the USCIS processing times tool (egov.uscis.gov).

| Argument | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `form` | `string` | Yes | USCIS form number, e.g. "I-765" |
| `category` | `string` | No | Eligibility category |
| `office` | `string` | No | USCIS field office or service center |

```
get_processing_time({ form: "I-765" })
```

Not implemented yet - always returns a sign-in prompt.

### `get_visa_bulletin` (sign-in required)

Monthly Visa Bulletin final-action or dates-for-filing chart entry. Requires sign-in at https://immigrationlayer.com. Not legal advice. Source: the Department of State Visa Bulletin (travel.state.gov).

| Argument | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `month` | `string` | Yes | e.g. "2026-10" |
| `chart` | `final_action \| dates_for_filing` | Yes | Which chart to read |
| `category` | `string` | Yes | Preference category, e.g. "F2A" |
| `country` | `string` | Yes | Chargeability country |

```
get_visa_bulletin({ month: "2026-10", chart: "final_action", category: "F2A", country: "India" })
```

Not implemented yet - always returns a sign-in prompt.

### `search_alerts` (sign-in required)

Search USCIS and DOS alerts and notices by keyword. Requires sign-in at https://immigrationlayer.com. Not legal advice. Source: the USCIS newsroom alerts page (uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts).

| Argument | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `query` | `string` | Yes | Keyword to search for |
| `since` | `string` | No | ISO 8601 date/time; limits results to alerts published after it |

```
search_alerts({ query: "I-765" })
```

Not implemented yet - always returns a sign-in prompt.

## Auth

`check_form_edition` and `list_form_changes` need no sign-in. Every other tool needs a caller
identity: MCP clients (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude Code) use OAuth with dynamic client
registration; scripts use an API key from https://immigrationlayer.com/account, sent as
`Authorization: Bearer <key>` on the same `/mcp` JSON-RPC endpoint. There is no separate REST API
yet (tracked in https://github.com/zentered-studios/immigration-mcp/issues/50).

## Rate limits

20 calls per minute per IP for the two sign-in-free tools and the `changes` resource. No monthly
quota is enforced yet (Stripe-backed plans are tracked in
https://github.com/zentered-studios/immigration-mcp/issues/13).

## Versioning

The server negotiates the MCP protocol version at connect time. A tool's name and required
arguments won't change without a new tool name; optional arguments may be added.

## Changelog

https://immigrationlayer.com/changes.rss and https://immigrationlayer.com/changes.json

## Related

- [Home](https://immigrationcontext.com/index.md)
- [immigrationlayer.com](https://immigrationlayer.com/llms.txt): tools, connect instructions, pricing, FAQ
- [visacontext.com](https://visacontext.com/llms.txt): Visa Bulletin