There are some challenges in the law given asylum’s discretionary nature, but practically, mandamus cases are very effective in getting an interview scheduled for long delayed asylum cases. USCIS’s current protocol for processing asylum cases is completely unreasonable. They prioritize recently-filed asylum applications for processing. USCIS refers to this policy as “last in, first out” or LIFO. This causes those with older-filed applications to wait in a multiyear limbo. The LIFO policy creates such an unreasonable delay that it may prevent older applicants from ever receiving an interview.
