Carmen Arce is a nationally recognized immigration attorney with over two decades of experience helping foreign nationals build their lives and careers in the United States. She is the Founding Partner of Arce Immigration Law, which she established in 2011 after a decade of practicing with prominent immigration firms in Miami.
Admitted to the Florida Bar in 2001, Carmen has focused exclusively on Immigration and Nationality Law throughout her legal career. She became a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) in 2002 and has remained an active participant in the immigration legal community ever since.
Her practice spans family-based immigration, business immigration, and removal defense, though her true passion lies in employment-based immigration. Carmen is particularly known for her strategic approach to complex business visa petitions, including EB-1, EB-2 NIW, O-1, and investor-based options.
In 2009, Carmen earned Board Certification in Immigration and Nationality Law from The Florida Bar, a distinction held by fewer than 0.1% of attorneys in the state. She has served on the Certification Committee as a Member, Vice-Chair, and Chair, where she evaluated attorney credentials and contributed to the development of the board certification exam.
In 2025, she became one of the founding members nationally board certified in Immigration Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) — one of the most rigorous and respected legal credentials in the United States.
As a founding member of the NBTA’s Immigration Law certification, Carmen played a key role in helping shape the program from its earliest stages. She collaborated closely with the NBTA in establishing the standards, contributing to the development of the national certification exam, and navigating the application and approval process that set the foundation for future certified attorneys across the U.S.
With over 5,000 successful cases and more than 20 years of experience, Carmen is now recognized at both the state and national levels for her legal excellence, leadership, and commitment to client success.
Carmen has represented clients from across the globe and regularly speaks at immigration law conferences both in the U.S. and abroad. She has participated in the Investment Migration Council in Geneva, Switzerland, and has presented on immigration topics in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Italy, and Switzerland.
She is trilingual in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and proficient in Italian. Raised in Texas, Carmen earned her undergraduate degree Magna Cum Laude from Texas Tech University, where she majored in Spanish and minored in Secondary Education. During her time at TTU, she studied abroad in Mexico, was Vice President of Sigma Delta Pi (Spanish Honor Society), and a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society.
She later earned her Juris Doctor from Texas Tech University School of Law, where she remained active in the student body and represented her law school at the Hispanic National Bar Association. In 2000, she was admitted to Georgetown University’s International Law Program in Florence, Italy, further deepening her global legal perspective.
Today, Carmen continues to lead Arce Immigration Law with the same purpose that first drew her to the legal profession: helping others. Her work is driven by a deep respect for culture, education, and the transformative power of immigration.
In 2025, Carmen released her first book, 76 Spirit Lifts: Inspirational Poetry To Lift You Up — a personal collection of poems reflecting on love, resilience, nature, and the beauty of the human spirit. Through this creative work, she invites readers to slow down and reconnect with what brings peace and meaning to life.
When she’s not advocating for clients, Carmen enjoys writing, cooking, traveling, exercising, and spending time with family and friends.