Well, sounds like you're doing your part, it's just the legal system screwing you up.

I wanted to tack on that while the "change jobs for de facto promotion" technique is solid and time tested, doing the sort of stuff I mentioned can help you climb faster. If you're planning on that career path, that's great skill development. You may still advance if you just clock time in before moving on, but you'll find you don't advance as far and that you seem to be getting the same job over and over. (At least, statistically.)

Best of luck with the visa issues. If nothing else, keep an eye on the long term. Development today may still pay off later.

(I mean, don't go crazy. I'm not big into unpaid work. But not all "eight hours" are created equal.)