Green Card Application

After 5 years in San Diego I call this little piece of paradise my home and I want to stay here without the fear of having to leave the country (been there, done it, not again!). I want to apply for permanent residency so that I can continue to be a part of the San Diego scientific and social community. Unfortunately, this is an expensive endeavor. The cheapest lawyer I found for preparing my petition costs $4000 and filing the petition with the government will be another $1650. Any help with these costs would be highly appreciated. Thank you so much for reading this and an even bigger thank you if you could spare a few $!