Local Veteran Helps Immigrants Become Citizens; His Own Incredible Story Revealed

By Zachary Daum
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“We came back off of an ‘op,’ and we were sitting around with beers on the table and the team (was) chatting. One person said, you have an accent. ‘Where are you from?’ I said, ‘Canada.’ He said, ‘Well, that’s cool. When did you become a citizen?’ I said, ‘I’m not.’ And the table went silent. ‘What do you mean you’re not? You can’t be here.’”

That was the story of how David Vail, a 26 year United States Air Force veteran, became a citizen. Retiring at the rank of Chief Master Sergeant and originally from London, Ontario, Canada, Vail made it his mission to help those who are in America legally learn the ins and outs of the naturalization process for free. He told his unique story of becoming an American citizen, detailing his long military career and how it could have ended very differently today.

“Flash traffic back to the Pentagon. Houston, we have a problem,” Vail said jokingly, after it was discovered he was not yet a US citizen.

It wasn’t funny at the time, though.

“Imagine, ‘They’ve got a foreigner with a top secret clearance and a top secret job doing top secret missions that should have been discharged 15 years ago,’” he said.

He was asked if he wanted to become a citizen, and he said yes. After that, they acted fast. Vail flew back to Washington D.C. from Frankfurt, Germany and was quickly ushered through an expedited naturalization process. “On Monday morning, I went to the Pentagon. They said, ‘Okay, tomorrow morning… you have an appointment with immigration,’” he explained. After completing paperwork and passing civics questions, Vail was told the standard wait time would be six months. He pushed back. “She said, ‘Well, that’s the way we do it.’”

Vail reported back that he had been told to wait six months. The reply from his commanding officer was that he should forget that. By that Friday, he stood before a federal judge in Washington, D.C. “We chatted (for a short time) and then after about 10 minutes, he goes, ‘Okay, let’s do this.’ I made the oath and suddenly I was a citizen.” In just ten days. It was unbelievable. Vail went from green card holder to U.S. citizen.

Vail offers his free citizenship preparation classes at four locations across Southern Illinois: O’Fallon, Fairview Heights, Marion and beginning in July, Edwardsville. Each location hosts the class monthly, with Vail rotating between them. His purpose in hosting these classes is to, “demystify the naturalization process, remove their fear and show them how to do it without hiring a lawyer.”

So far his class has had students from all around the world, including Australia, El Salvador, Germany, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, Malaysia, Nigeria, Peru, Phillipines, United Kingdom and Vietnam.

Vail discussed how what started as a single session in June 2023 at the O’Fallon Public Library expanded due to increasing demand and community interest. “The first expansion, Fairview Heights library, said they wanted it. And then a nonprofit down in Marion, Illinois, said, ‘Will you come down here? Because we’ve got a large immigrant population that works the farming communities,’” Vail explained. “Edwardsville just came online and said, ‘We want to start.’ They’re going to start in July.” His three-hour program provides in-depth guidance for lawful permanent residents navigating the path to citizenship, including the N-400 application, civics and geography test preparation and understanding the Oath of Allegiance.

Vail was inspired to create the class after guiding his wife and stepson, both originally from England, through the citizenship process. “My wife and son never felt any need to become a citizen, any more than I felt the need while I was active duty in the Air Force,” he said. But as the political climate shifted, that changed. “The environment and the political rhetoric about surrounding immigrants” became a growing concern and his wife and stepson decided it was time. Vail began, explaining how that moment sparked the idea to build a class. “We built slides and covered these topics in our three-hour program.” What started as a family need evolved into a community resource, helping lawful permanent residents better understand and complete the path to citizenship.

In his class, Vail takes time to carefully walk attendees through the N-400, the official application for U.S. citizenship. While the form isn’t filled out during the session, he explains each section in detail so participants know exactly what to expect before they begin the process on their own. This part of the class is especially important, as small mistakes can lead to long delays. “We don’t fill it out. We talk about what’s in each section and some of the traps…that confuse people,” Vail said. “If you make a mistake here, that’s not a good thing, because it just delays everything.” By pointing out common areas of confusion and explaining how to avoid them, Vail ensures attendees are better prepared, more confident, and less likely to face setbacks in the application process.

One of the most valuable parts of Vail’s class is how he breaks down the often confusing costs of applying for citizenship; something many people don’t realize they can get help with. He walks attendees through ways to save money on the application, even cutting the cost entirely in some cases. These are real savings that many green card holders aren’t aware of, and Vail makes sure they understand what’s available and how to apply.

As of April 1, 2024, filing the citizenship application (Form N-400) costs $710 if done online, or $760 by mail; both include required biometrics. But there are two ways to lower or eliminate that fee. If your household income is near or below the poverty line (for example, under $48,225 a year for a family of four), you may qualify for a full fee waiver, meaning you pay nothing. Even if you make more than that, up to $128,600 for a family of four, you could still qualify for a reduced fee of just $380. To apply for either, you’ll need to show proof of income like tax returns or W-2 forms, and you must use the paper application. Vail not only explains these options clearly, but gives attendees printed materials showing the current income guidelines, step-by-step instructions, and even sample forms to help them apply correctly.

The next class will be held at the O’Fallon Public Library on Saturday, June 28, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and is free, but you must register. To register for this upcoming class, go to the O’Fallon Public Library’s website and find it in the calendar section or simply visit this url: https://www.ofpl.info/calendar#/events/GsXCCDGdaC/instances/ZLVXzmnnj2/

As classes come up, they will also be featured in the briefs of The Herald and Scott Flier newspapers. You can also find more information about naturalization by going to the citizenship resource center at https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship