Job security abroad has an extra variable home never had: your right to stay can be tied to your employment, which changes how career risk feels. Where a permit is bound to one sponsor, losing a job starts a clock, so foreigners rationally switch jobs less and negotiate more gently than local peers. Securing permanent residency, where achievable, removes that discount and is worth pursuing early for career reasons alone.
Growth compares to home in both directions. You may advance faster where your skills are scarce, or find international experience prized in global firms; equally, leadership tracks in some markets quietly require native language and local networks, producing a ceiling that takes years to break.
What strengthens your position over time is predictable: language mastery, local certifications and references, senior colleagues willing to advocate for you, and visa status independent of any one employer. Expats who treat those four as career infrastructure generally report stability equal to or better than what they left behind.