Awaiting visas means the haven't arrived in country yet. So they have no idea what NAS is really like just yet.
Lot's of people with important sounding titles drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, and writing memos such as copier machine training schedules.
Let me give you an example of a typical office visit for an expat pilot:
Situation: You need a leave request document (CTA).
First go visit Crew Scheduling (wait for door to open and sneak in). After receiving a list of your OFF days, you leave and head to Flight Ops to visit Arshad or the other kid with braces. These are the only 2 people in the building who do any actual work by the way. One of them will fill out your leave request form on the computer which can take upwards of 20 minutes. He will then leave the room to get your request form from the printer, which by the way is in another part of the building even though there are fifteen other printers in the room.
Next, you are off to your Fleet Manager if you can find him, and if not come back another day. If you are so lucky to locate your Fleet Manager, he will then inform you that something needs to be accomplished before he will sign (Medical renewal, GACA license renewal, visa renewal, etc..). This could potentially mean missing days from your OFF rotation, and you are SOL.
If you make it past this phase, you must go visit the training department. No problem you say, this will only take a second. Well it might if only you could find the Manager of Training or you are not even sure IF there is a Manager of Training any longer. The have fired so many in the past year. If you are incredibly lucky (might also want to get some lotto tickets), you get the required signature.
Well this takes us to 3 out of the 5 required signatures needed. We're on the home stretch now! Next up, head to GR (government relations) where you will stand at a big counter and wait for the wonderful folks to help you. Better bring a book to read. Hey is that Fred Al- Scuzzy that just walked by? Why is his desk in GR? Anyways, you finally get the signature and off you go to the last signature on the list, Director of Operations.
As you walk into the DFO's office you notice he's not around. Where is the DFO you ask anyone that might be around. He's in a meeting they reply. No problem, just wait for the meeting to end and go back. You go back a little while later and and he's still not there. You ask the same person who told you he's in a meeting earlier and with a completely straight face they tell you "He's been in Jeddah for the past few days." Arrrgghhhhhh!!!!!