h1b-mcp
An MCP server that lets Claude answer H1B visa sponsorship questions using free public DOL data.
Ask things like:
- "Does Google sponsor H1Bs?"
- "What's Amazon's H1B approval rate and top roles?"
- "Which companies in Austin sponsor H1Bs for Data Engineers?"
Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
lookup_company | Quick sponsorship check + certified/denied/withdrawn counts |
get_company_stats | Approval rate, top 5 roles, avg annual wage, states |
search_sponsors | Filter companies by job title, state, and/or city |
Setup
1. Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/h1b-mcp.git
cd h1b-mcp
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
2. Build the database (one-time, ~2-3 min)
python loader.py
This downloads the FY2024 Q2 DOL H1B LCA data (~50MB) and loads it into a local SQLite database.
3. Verify the database
python -c "import sqlite3; db = sqlite3.connect('h1b.db'); print(db.execute('SELECT COUNT(*) FROM lca_applications').fetchone())"
Should print a non-zero count (e.g., (600000,)).
4. Connect to Claude Desktop
Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):
{
"mcpServers": {
"h1b": {
"command": "/absolute/path/to/h1b-mcp/venv/bin/python",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/h1b-mcp/server.py"]
}
}
}
Important: Use the absolute path to the venv Python, not bare python. To find it:
cd h1b-mcp && source venv/bin/activate && which python
5. Restart Claude Desktop and start asking
"Which companies in New York sponsor H1Bs for software engineers?"
Data Source
Public DOL LCA Disclosure Data (FY2024 Q2). Source: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/foreign-labor/performance
No API keys required. Data is a quarterly snapshot — re-run loader.py to refresh.
Running Tests
source venv/bin/activate
pytest tests/ -v