It's a simple question but it can be difficult to get a straight answer.

We are going through the process of obtaining a green card for an employee, so we may as well share what we've learned.

Based on a quick ten minute call with our immigration lawyer, here's the skinny on green card costs.

First of all, be aware that there are three green card phases or steps you need to go through:

• Labor Certification (ETA 9089 Application for Permanent Employment Certification);
• Preference Petition (I-140 Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker); and,
• Final Application for Permanent Residence (I-485 Application for Adjustment of Status).

OK, so here are the costs for getting a green card.

Lawyer costs for a green card will run you $4,000. You can shop around for a better price by calling several immigration lawyers. That's the price quote I received from a law firm that has a strong immigration practice.

Those green card legal fees do not include advertising, copying, FedEx, and other fees.

$1,000 for advertising is typical, and that's your biggest ancillary green card expense. You have to advertise the position. That's part of the process of getting a green card.

Last but not least, there are the green card filing fees. The government works very hard to oversee and coordinate green card evaluations and issuances, and green card filing fees is how they cover their costs.

Each phase of the green card process has its own fee structure. Fees are always subject to change. Currently, the first phase, Labor Certification, has no fee. Hooray!

The second phase, the Preference Petition, costs $475.

Finally, the last phase, the Final Application for Permanent Residence, costs $1,010.

OK, so now let's figure out the total costs for getting a green card.It's $4,000 plus $1,000 plus $475 plus $1,010.

So, all in all, it costs $6,485 to get a green card.

Now you know.