Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law)
Helping Clients Seamlessly Navigate through Complexity and Unpredictability of Immigration Processes

The onset of the COVID-19 crisis has prompted states to develop conditional entry requirements and continuously modify immigration procedures to adapt to shifting health imperatives. Despite the mobility constraints posed by ever-changing travel bans and restrictions, the demand for hiring migrant workers continues to be significant. Employers cite that factors driving this demand are the need to support expansion into new locations and place highskilled talent by securing work authorization or permanent resident status. That said, the extent to which a country’s borders have been sealed and immigration services disrupted has varied in the past year. However, many of them have placed exemptions and taken provisional measures for specific categories of migrants in essential sectors and those unable to leave because of the pandemic. “Our expertise in immigration-related laws and extensive experience of appearing before various governmental agencies involved in the implementation and enforcement enables us to expeditiously secure the proper visas and alien employment permits for clients,” explains Atty. Raoul R. Angangco, Name Partner of V&A Law. Since its establishment in 1980 under the leadership of retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio T. Carpio and current name partner F. Arthur L. Villaraza, Villaraza & Angangco (V&A Law) has cemented its reputation as the preferred counsel of both local and international businesses in diverse industries. The firm has a proven track record of successfully representing clients by rendering comprehensive advisory and legal assistance to individuals and corporations on a diverse spectrum of legal matters including Philippine immigration laws. Over the years, V&A Law has garnered a strong reputation for its ability to solve intricate legal issues, complex multijurisdictional and cross-border disputes. The Firm has decades of experience and knowledge in immigration and emigration matters, providing innovative, comprehensive, and practical solutions with a full spectrum of a client’s interests by implementing tailored strategies that deliver results and help ensure success. Its lawyers are equipped to skillfully represent clients in the acquisition, recognition, and re-acquisition of Philippine citizenship and deportation and exclusion proceedings, including the issuance or lifting of hold departure orders and inclusion or deletion from the immigration blacklist. V&A Law routinely handles applications for various types of visas, including pre-arranged employee visas, special economic zone visas, alien employment permits, among others.
In addition, the firm also helps secure alien certificates of registration identity cards (ACR I-Card), overseas employment certificates to allow Filipino workers to be directly hired for work abroad, advises on investor and retirement visa options, special work permits, provisional work permits, and similar documents for clientele that includes corporate executives, professionals, skilled personnel of multinational corporations, and their dependents.

As it celebrates its 41st year, V&A Law continues to enjoy its position as a global premier expert in key practice areas of law. Its70 partners and associates, aided by its 100 highly-skilled non-legal staff, provide clients with a full range of legal services drawn from their collective expertise in areas such as Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Corporate & Commercial Law, Intellectual Property Law, Labor & Employment, Taxation, Power & Energy, Telecommunications, among others. The Firm has earned the distinction of being at the forefront of historical cases that shaped the future of the Philippines, from pro bono litigation in defense of abused women and children, to breaking up long-established monopolies and industry cartels in various sectors. V&A Law has been consistently acclaimed, both locally and regionally, having been recognized numerous times in multiple key practice areas. The Firm's various recognitions include but are not limited to having been named Litigation Law Firm of the Year in the Asian Legal Business Philippine Law Awards, Asia Business Law Journal Philippine Law Awards, and In-House Community Firms of the Year Awards; as finalist for Immigration Law Firm of the Year in the Asian Legal Business Philippine Law Awards for 2020 and 2021; as a leading law firm for Immigration by the Legal 500 Asia-Pacific as well as for Labor and Employment by Chambers & Partners Asia-Pacific and The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific; as a leading law firm for Labor & Employment Litigation by Benchmark Litigation; as a leading law firm for Corporate and M&A, Construction, Tax, Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Intellectual Property, Corporate and Finance, among others, across various reputable international legal rankings; as well as winner of Asian Legal Business’ Employer of Choice Award for 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021.Today, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the existing shortcomings within international immigration systems, including the lack of tailored support available for migrants in vulnerable situations, which have increased during the pandemic. Against this backdrop, V&A Law strives to address such gaps and improve processes inclusively and efficiently, assuring a smooth and hassle-free immigration and emigration process. The Firm was ahead of its time, operating using flexible, remote, and virtual solutions such as cloud environments and video conferencing before the crisis struck. “We want to continue to grow as a firm and continue to provide the top tier experience to our clients by continuing to adapt to new technologies and developments in the legal profession,” concludes Atty. Mark Benjamin C. Yam, Senior Associate at V&A Law.