He had served as Member of Penang State Legislative Assembly for Seberang Jaya from 2004 to 2013.

He is a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a component party of Barisan Nasional (BN).

Arif Shah can speak Mandarin and Hokkien due to his early education at SRJK(C) Hun Lian, Taiping, Perak and followed by primary school extension at SRJK(C) Chong Hwa Wei Sin, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu.

He then continued his education at SMJK(C) Chong Hwa Wei Sin, Kuala Terengganu and continued his studies at Chong Hwa High School, Gombak, Kuala Lumpur.

Next he studied at the Federal Institute of Technology majoring in civil engineering, then to Graber International, California, United States in the department of building materials.