Career progression abroad is real but usually slower and less automatic than for local peers, and it helps to understand why rather than take it personally. Promotion into leadership tends to require exactly the things foreigners are still accumulating: deep language fluency, local networks, and cultural fluency in how influence works in that country. Visa status adds friction too, since some employers hesitate to invest in someone they suspect may leave, and job switching, a classic acceleration move, is harder when your permit is tied to a sponsor.
The counterweights are worth using deliberately. International experience, cross cultural skills, and connections to other markets make foreigners disproportionately valuable in global roles, regional headquarters, and companies expanding abroad. Aim your ambitions where your difference is an asset.
Practically, the accelerators are language mastery, securing permanent residency to remove the visa discount, finding senior sponsors inside the organization who will advocate for you, and being explicit about wanting advancement, since in many cultures silent hard work is read as contentment.