Ask Your American Friend

Ask Your American Friend is an advice column for the public to read; therefore, your question and Laura's response will be published on this site and remain there indefinitely.

Your real name and any identifying information will be removed from your question.

Your e-mail address will not be shared publicly.

You will be assigned a pseudonym, or fake name, in place of your real name for publication on this site.​

Questions submitted in a language other than English will be translated to English and published to the site in English. The text can be read through a variety of languages that are available on the site through Google Translate.

Responses will be translated and emailed to you in the language in which you wrote the question.

Answers to your questions are for educational and informational purposes only. Laura is not a lawyer and cannot give legal advice. Therefore, any legal questions, including but not limited to, the immigration process and laws, visas and green cards, should be directed to a licensed attorney.

Laura is not a therapist, counselor, psychologist, or doctor and therefore does not diagnose or treat mental health illnesses or provide medical advice.

If you are experiencing a mental health problem, please contact a mental health professional.

If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

For assistance with finding a licensed attorney or mental health professional in your area, please visit our Resources Assistance page.