diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index 2a9900cb989..cbc9fe39315 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ class User < ActiveRecord::Base
   validates_presence_of :username
   validate :username_validator, if: :username_changed?
   validates :email, presence: true, uniqueness: true
-  validates :email, email: true, if: :email_changed?
+  validates :email, email: true, if: Proc.new { |u| !u.staged && u.email_changed? }
   validate :password_validator
   validates :name, user_full_name: true, if: :name_changed?
   validates :ip_address, allowed_ip_address: {on: :create, message: :signup_not_allowed}
diff --git a/spec/components/validators/email_validator_spec.rb b/spec/components/validators/email_validator_spec.rb
index b219de6ba61..05edfbbf47c 100644
--- a/spec/components/validators/email_validator_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/components/validators/email_validator_spec.rb
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ require 'rails_helper'
 
 describe EmailValidator do
 
-  let(:record) {  }
+  let(:record) { }
   let(:validator) { described_class.new({attributes: :email}) }
   subject(:validate) { validator.validate_each(record,:email,record.email) }
 
@@ -25,10 +25,10 @@ describe EmailValidator do
 
     it "blocks based on email_domains_blacklist" do
       SiteSetting.email_domains_blacklist = "email.com|mail.com|e-mail.com"
-      expect(blocks?('sam@email.com')).to           eq(true)
-      expect(blocks?('sam@bob.email.com')).to       eq(true)
-      expect(blocks?('sam@e-mail.com')).to          eq(true)
-      expect(blocks?('sam@googlemail.com')).to      eq(false)
+      expect(blocks?('sam@email.com')).to eq(true)
+      expect(blocks?('sam@bob.email.com')).to eq(true)
+      expect(blocks?('sam@e-mail.com')).to eq(true)
+      expect(blocks?('sam@googlemail.com')).to eq(false)
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/spec/models/user_spec.rb b/spec/models/user_spec.rb
index 2c5b0aea224..71deb205cb7 100644
--- a/spec/models/user_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/user_spec.rb
@@ -441,65 +441,65 @@ describe User do
     end
 
     it 'should reject some emails based on the email_domains_blacklist site setting' do
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_blacklist).returns('mailinator.com')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_blacklist = 'mailinator.com'
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'notgood@mailinator.com')).not_to be_valid
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'mailinator@gmail.com')).to be_valid
     end
 
     it 'should reject some emails based on the email_domains_blacklist site setting' do
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_blacklist).returns('mailinator.com|trashmail.net')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_blacklist = 'mailinator.com|trashmail.net'
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'notgood@mailinator.com')).not_to be_valid
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'notgood@trashmail.net')).not_to be_valid
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'mailinator.com@gmail.com')).to be_valid
     end
 
     it 'should not reject partial matches' do
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_blacklist).returns('mail.com')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_blacklist = 'mail.com'
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'mailinator@gmail.com')).to be_valid
     end
 
     it 'should reject some emails based on the email_domains_blacklist site setting ignoring case' do
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_blacklist).returns('trashmail.net')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_blacklist = 'trashmail.net'
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'notgood@TRASHMAIL.NET')).not_to be_valid
     end
 
     it 'should reject emails based on the email_domains_blacklist site setting matching subdomain' do
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_blacklist).returns('domain.com')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_blacklist = 'domain.com'
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'notgood@sub.domain.com')).not_to be_valid
     end
 
     it 'blacklist should not reject developer emails' do
       Rails.configuration.stubs(:developer_emails).returns('developer@discourse.org')
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_blacklist).returns('discourse.org')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_blacklist = 'discourse.org'
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'developer@discourse.org')).to be_valid
     end
 
     it 'should not interpret a period as a wildcard' do
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_blacklist).returns('trashmail.net')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_blacklist = 'trashmail.net'
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'good@trashmailinet.com')).to be_valid
     end
 
     it 'should not be used to validate existing records' do
       u = Fabricate(:user, email: 'in_before_blacklisted@fakemail.com')
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_blacklist).returns('fakemail.com')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_blacklist = 'fakemail.com'
       expect(u).to be_valid
     end
 
     it 'should be used when email is being changed' do
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_blacklist).returns('mailinator.com')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_blacklist = 'mailinator.com'
       u = Fabricate(:user, email: 'good@gmail.com')
       u.email = 'nope@mailinator.com'
       expect(u).not_to be_valid
     end
 
     it 'whitelist should reject some emails based on the email_domains_whitelist site setting' do
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_whitelist).returns('vaynermedia.com')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_whitelist = 'vaynermedia.com'
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'notgood@mailinator.com')).not_to be_valid
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'sbauch@vaynermedia.com')).to be_valid
     end
 
     it 'should reject some emails based on the email_domains_whitelist site setting when whitelisting multiple domains' do
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_whitelist).returns('vaynermedia.com|gmail.com')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_whitelist = 'vaynermedia.com|gmail.com'
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'notgood@mailinator.com')).not_to be_valid
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'notgood@trashmail.net')).not_to be_valid
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'mailinator.com@gmail.com')).to be_valid
@@ -507,28 +507,34 @@ describe User do
     end
 
     it 'should accept some emails based on the email_domains_whitelist site setting ignoring case' do
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_whitelist).returns('vaynermedia.com')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_whitelist = 'vaynermedia.com'
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'good@VAYNERMEDIA.COM')).to be_valid
     end
 
     it 'whitelist should accept developer emails' do
       Rails.configuration.stubs(:developer_emails).returns('developer@discourse.org')
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_whitelist).returns('awesome.org')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_whitelist = 'awesome.org'
       expect(Fabricate.build(:user, email: 'developer@discourse.org')).to be_valid
     end
 
     it 'email whitelist should not be used to validate existing records' do
       u = Fabricate(:user, email: 'in_before_whitelisted@fakemail.com')
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_blacklist).returns('vaynermedia.com')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_blacklist = 'vaynermedia.com'
       expect(u).to be_valid
     end
 
     it 'email whitelist should be used when email is being changed' do
-      SiteSetting.stubs(:email_domains_whitelist).returns('vaynermedia.com')
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_whitelist = 'vaynermedia.com'
       u = Fabricate(:user, email: 'good@vaynermedia.com')
       u.email = 'nope@mailinator.com'
       expect(u).not_to be_valid
     end
+
+    it "doesn't validate email address for staged users" do
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_whitelist = "foo.com"
+      SiteSetting.email_domains_blacklist = "bar.com"
+      expect(Fabricate.build(:user, staged: true, email: "foo@bar.com")).to be_valid
+    end
   end
 
   describe 'passwords' do