slotsmuggling
/ˈslɒtsˌmʌɡlɪŋ/nounVerified NewThe gray-market scalping of scarce consular appointment slots.
Bots take the calendar at midnight and brokers resell mornings at a markup, so the queue reforms inside the booking system. Bureaucracy creates scarcity; scarcity creates an industry.
Etym. — slot + smuggling: appointments moved like contraband across a border made of dates.
Rel. — windowlore
Novelty check: NEW · checked 2026-11-08
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