I am Russian citizen that frequently travels to Europe. I was last in Switzerland for Art Basel 2 years ago. Currently I am in the London studying on a UK Tier 4 visa.

I've been trying trying to apply for a 1-day visa to Switzerland in London to come to a day of Art Basel on the 15th of June, but first the website of VFSGlobal total failed me, then it was down, and now it only gives me appointment dates after I already missed Art Basel. Is there any way in London to pay for an expedited visa?

Also, I used to get Schengen visas for 1-2 years. Now when I request to travel, they give me visas that last 3-4 days each. Have the Schengen policies changed towards Russian citizens? Why are the visas so short now compared with before? I've had to travel from UK to Europe twice in the last 6 months, and each time I would be given a visa that only would barely cover my trip. In fact, on one of my trips, I asked for a visa that would cover both trips and they gave me one that only covered the first trip.