Complete and sign the Apprentice Member Application Form
Proof of at least one qualifying credit from an eligible category
Proof of Canadian citizenship or Permanent Residency Status (accepted documents are: Passport, Birth Certificate, Certificate of Indian Status Card, Citizenship Card or Permanent Resident Card)
Payment of the Annual Dues (we’ll contact you after we have reviewed your documents)
Email all application documents to membership@ubcpactra.ca
Click the tabs for further information about key words mentioned here.
Qualifying Credit
To join as an Apprentice Member, a performer must have one qualifying credit. The first qualifying credit can be:
- An Acting Credit: a professional engagement in an eligible category for which a work permit was paid. We will need the contract and pay stub.
- An Education Credit: a degree or diploma from a qualifying program approved by UBCP/ACTRA
- 1600 hours or 200 days of work from when you joined as a UBCP/ACTRA Background Member1
To join as a Full Member, a performer must have at least three qualifying credits. The first qualifying credit can be an Acting Credit, an Education Credit, or 1600hrs/200 days of work as a Background Member. Second and subsequent credits must be Acting Credits.
*You may be granted an Education Credit if you received a degree or diploma in Acting from one of the qualifying programs listed.
Education Credits must be registered within one (1) year of graduation. Accreditation earned before the approved date will not be considered.
Other ways to join:
A member in good standing with SAG-AFTRA or Equity UK may apply to be a Full Member of UBCP/ACTRA after having worked on at least one residual bearing role on a UBCP/ACTRA production.
A Canadian Actors Equity Association (CAEA) member may apply to be a Full Member of UBCP/ACTRA after having worked on at least one residual bearing role on a UBCP/ACTRA production. Under a reciprocal agreement, CAEA members are entitled to a $475.00 discount off the UBCP/ACTRA initiation fee.
You will need to submit your current membership card or letter in good standing, proof of qualifying credit (contract and paystub) along with the all the requirements of the Full Member Application to: membership@ubcpactra.ca
Exceptional Circumstances
There is an avenue to apply for Full Member status based on Exceptional Circumstances. You must prove that you are an established professional and are very well known in the media and that your name is widely recognized.
This clause is usually accessed by performers from other countries where work in recorded media may not be unionized, and where UBCP/ACTRA does not have a reciprocal agreement in place. Non-union work done in a country where a union exists will not be considered when reviewing an application for membership based on Exceptional Circumstances.
In order to apply for Full Membership based on Exceptional Circumstances, please contact membership@ubcpactra.ca
Deadlines for credit registration
An Education Credit must be registered within one (1) year of the date of graduation. The institution must submit a copy of the official transcript directly to the Union.
1 To obtain your payroll history, please contact Cast & Crew and Entertainment Partners Canada directly
An Acting Credit is a professional engagement in an eligible category for which a work permit was paid to UBCP/ACTRA. The categories include, and are not limited to, the following;
- Principal Performer
- Actor
- Stunt Performer
- Stunt Coordinator
- Stunt Rigger
- Choreographer
- Group Singer/Dancer
- Acting/Dialogue Coach
- Puppeteer
- Silent on Camera
- Demonstrator
- Voice Over
- Single Voice
- Multiple Voice
Please note that Background (including nudity and SAE) is not an eligible category.
Credits eligible for membership are determined by the Union.
If you don’t remember what the required documents look like, you can check the list below. Please, keep in mind that these are the most common formats but there may be others. If you have never received a copy of one of the required documents, please ask your agent.
Performer Contract (Commercials)
Performer Contract (Animation)
You may be granted an Education Credit if you received a degree or diploma in Acting from one of the qualifying programs listed below.
The Education Credit can be used on a one-time basis to earn a first Qualifying Credit, provided it is registered within one (1) year of graduation; or completion of a course of study from a UBCP/ACTRA approved post-secondary school or institution.
The qualifying programs are:
- University of British Columbia – Bachelor of Fine Arts/Acting (approved 2011)
- University of Victoria – Bachelor of Fine Arts, Major in Theatre Acting (approved 2011)
- Studio 58 at Langara College – Diploma in Theatre Arts/Acting (approved 2011)
- Vancouver Film School – Diploma in Acting for Film and Television (approved 2011)
- New Image College – Film Acting Conservatory, 2-year diploma program (approved 2011)
- Capilano University – Acting for the Stage and Screen Diploma, or Musical Theatre Diploma (approved 2011)
- Vancouver Acting School – Acting: Film, Television & Voice-Over combined with Comedy Conservatory or Theatre Conservatory (approved 2014)
- Vancouver Institute of Media Arts (Vanarts) – 1-year Acting for Film and TV Program (approved 2015)
- Simon Fraser University – Theatre (Performance Stream) Bachelor of Fine Arts (approved 2021)
- Victoria Academy of Dramatic Arts (VADArts) – Acting for Film & TV Diploma (year 1) combined with Actors Intensive: Working with Directors, Year 2 (approved 2015)
- Canadian College of Performing Arts – Performing Arts Certificate, Performing Arts Diploma or Applied Performing Arts Diploma (approved 2023)
- Vancouver Academy of Dramatic Arts (VADA) – Dramatic Arts Program 1 combined with Dramatic Arts Program 2 (approved 2023)
Note: This list does not imply endorsement by UBCP/ACTRA.
Graduate outside of B.C.? Here is a list of ACTRA approved qualifying programs you can use to join UBCP/ACTRA.
Have questions? Contact Member Services! membership@ubcpactra.ca
UBCP/ACTRA annual dues cycle goes form April 1st to March 31st . The amount of the Annual Dues are as follows: – Background Members: $30.00 – Apprentice Members: $75.00 – Full Members: $195.00 – Senior* Full Members: $97.50 * Performers who have been Full Members for more than 10 uninterrupted years and are at least 65 years old qualify for the Senior rate. Members who join or reactivate their membership in a month other than April, must pay a proration of the Annual Dues according to the following table:
Members who change membership categories only pay the difference in annual dues from one category to the other. For example: – a Background Member who becomes an Apprentice Member in October must pay $22.50 ($37.50 minus $15.00) – an Apprentice Member who becomes a Full Member in December must pay $40.00 for the annual dues ($65.00 minus $25.00)