Unfortunately, many people who filed for asylum years ago are waiting indefinitely for an interview. The limbo prevents them from traveling, limits job and school opportunities and causes tremendous stress. Many people are aware that mandamus lawsuits can be an effective way to get an interview scheduled and get the process moving. The question is how long should you wait after applying for asylum to file a lawsuit? As of this writing, the general consensus amongst attorneys is that a wait of 4 years is sufficient to give yourself good odds of getting a good result (i.e., an interview scheduled) based on the filing a lawsuit.