After submitting your immigration forms, you should have received a receipt number verifying that your forms were received. The receipt number is 13 characters long and begins with three capital letters, e.g., “EAC-11-010-50870.” The receipt number should appear on all application notices USCIS sends you. If you’ve lost your receipt number, schedule an InfoPass appointment through the USCIS website: https://my.uscis.gov/appointment. This is the only way to schedule an in-person meeting with USCIS. At the meeting, you can ask for your receipt number. Remember to take your passport or other valid ID so you can enter the building. Visit the myUSCIS website at https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do.  Bookmark this page if you intend to visit it in the future. Omit dashes when entering the number, but include other characters, such as asterisks if they appear in your receipt number.  Click on “Check Status” after you enter your number. The website should pull up your application status. You'll see what steps your application or petition has already gone through and what steps it still has to go through before completion.
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One-sentence summary -- Find your receipt number. Go to the USCIS website. Enter your receipt number in the search box. Read about your status.


It is important to get medical personal on the scene as quickly as possible. If you and the injured person are alone, you need to get extreme bleeding under control before going for help. It is important to keep a barrier between you and someone else's blood. Latex gloves will protect you from any possible transfer of disease from the other person's blood. Also check the patient's breathing and circulation. Ask the person to lay down or sit down if possible, to allow the person to rest and relax. Check it to see what the problem is. Cut away clothing, if needed, so that you can see the wound. Be careful to avoid getting debris in the wound as you cut away the clothing. If the wound is causing severe bleeding from an arm or leg, ask the patient to elevate his or her affected limb. Then, place supports under the limb, such as pillows or folded blankets, or have helpers hold it up. Keep it in this position until the bleeding stops.  Shock can also be a life-threatening issue. If the patient is in shock, keep him or her warm and relaxed as possible. Symptoms of shock include pale, cold, clammy skin, disorientation, and decreased alertness. Do not try to remove any object, such as a glass splinter, unless you are properly trained to do so; removal could cause a great deal of blood loss if the item is the only thing stoppering the flow. Put a clean and non-fluffy dressing pad over the cut. Apply firm pressure directly to the cut.  A compression bandage can be made from clothing, fabric, rags, etc., if you don't have any first aid bandages. If you have one available, wrap the compression bandage around the wound. Do not wrap too tightly; ensure that two fingers can slip under the bandage. Do not attempt to remove the existing dressing and bandage, as this would disturb the wound. Leave underlying bandages on. This will help to leave in place any clots that might form. These prevent more blood from flowing out of the wound. Reassure the person until help arrives (if severe) or until the bleeding stops (less severe). An ambulance must be called if the cut is severe and/or the bleeding fails to stop.  Be sure to describe the person's injury when you call emergency services. This will make it easier for paramedics to arrive on the scene prepared to immediately assist. For example, if the cut was deep or dirty, you may need a tetanus shot. Tetanus is a serious bacterial infection that can cause paralysis and death if not treated. Most people receive a tetanus vaccine and boosters as part of their routine physicals every few years.  If you are exposed to the bacteria through a cut from something dirty or rusty, it is important to get a booster shot to prevent future infection. Call your doctor to see if you need one!
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One-sentence summary -- Call emergency services. Place gloves on if you are treating someone else. Check the severity of the wound and the injured person's responses to the injury. Assess life-threatening issues. Dress the deep cut. Place another dressing over the bandage if blood seeps through. Monitor the patient's breathing and circulation. Get further treatment from a medical professional.


Mosquitoes are attracted to lights, but if one is already buzzing around the room, there's no point turning them off. Keep a bright spot in your room to lure the mosquito to its doom. Mosquitoes are not attracted to sodium lights, LED lights, and yellow "bug lights." Use these as night lighting to reduce the number of mosquitoes that show up, but not to attract a single mosquito victim. Ready the hose attachment on a larger vacuum. Once you've spotted a mosquito, turn on the vacuum and hunt it down. Once sucked in, the bug should die in the vacuum cleaner bag, but you can always empty the bag outside if you'd like to be sure. If this sounds like too much effort for one mosquito, you can keep reading to remind yourself of more traditional methods. If you continue to follow it with your eyes, or even to walk toward it to scare it into moving away from you and against a wall, then this should only take a minute or two. If the mosquito won't land, try to kill it by clapping both hands together around it as it flies. This may take several tries. A rolled magazine, newspaper, or other old paper are all good options for increasing the force and reach of your swat. A shirt, book or other object will also work, as long as you're prepared to wash or wipe the squashed bug off afterward. Once you've successfully killed the mosquito, cackle maniacally and move on with your day. You can purchase a fly swatter for this purpose, or even an electrified one that only needs to lightly touch the insect to kill it. If the mosquito keeps flying away before your whack lands, it's probably reacting to the rush of air that precedes your strike. Try rapidly moving a clear glass onto the surface the mosquito has landed on instead, trapping it inside. Slide a piece of paper or cardboard between the glass and the surface so you can move the trapped mosquito. Toss it outside, carefully remove the paper and squish it, or just leave the trapped mosquito to suffocate.
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One-sentence summary -- Turn on a lamp or flashlight. Try using a vacuum cleaner. Wait for the mosquito to land on a wall. Swat the mosquito with any long object. Trap it with a glass.


Signs of heatstroke include excessive panting and rapid breathing, lethargy, bright pink ears, confusion, weakness and inability to stand, shaking, tremors, and possibly even seizures. A cat with heatstroke will also feel hot to the touch on the pads of her feet. If you suspect that your cat is suffering from heatstroke, place your cat on a cool surface right away, such as a tiled floor. Then turn on a fan and place it so that it is blowing on her to remove some of the heat. If your cat appears to be suffering from heatstroke, place cool damp washcloths over her paws and offer her some water to drink right away. If she is too weak to drink the water, try to moisten her gums with water using a damp cloth. Avoid ice water or very cold water as the temperature difference between the extreme heat and extreme cold can send the cat into a form of shock. Your cat may need to be taken to see your veterinarian to treat her heatstroke. A veterinarian can provide intravenous fluids to reduce your cat’s core temperature and maintain the blood supply to her organs. As your cat’s temperature rises, her blood will become thicker and circulation to vital organs can be impaired. Call your cat’s veterinarian right away if you suspect that your cat is suffering from heatstroke.
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One-sentence summary --
Watch for signs of heatstroke. Cool your cat down with cool damp washcloths and provide water. Call your cat’s veterinarian for advice.