diff --git a/app/models/repository.rb b/app/models/repository.rb
index e80c223840259cf7687313fb6c0ec6782dd13c8f..a8e826c9cbfea355af759254db5436644f060f82 100644
--- a/app/models/repository.rb
+++ b/app/models/repository.rb
@@ -364,6 +364,11 @@ class Repository
     expire_tag_count_cache
   end
 
+  def before_import
+    expire_emptiness_caches
+    expire_exists_cache
+  end
+
   # Runs code after a repository has been forked/imported.
   def after_import
     expire_emptiness_caches
diff --git a/app/services/projects/import_service.rb b/app/services/projects/import_service.rb
index 2015897dd198e6aceea4a4db4a4a9da263ebee68..ef15ef6a47310c2afc4db4b4ced7436d7a9617aa 100644
--- a/app/services/projects/import_service.rb
+++ b/app/services/projects/import_service.rb
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ module Projects
     def import_data
       return unless has_importer?
 
+      project.repository.before_import
+
       unless importer.execute
         raise Error, 'The remote data could not be imported.'
       end
diff --git a/spec/models/repository_spec.rb b/spec/models/repository_spec.rb
index c5d5a1c2492e70feccfb33b340e162adcb09ec56..f517f325c03a57eeb88131c721de681385d5ed5c 100644
--- a/spec/models/repository_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/repository_spec.rb
@@ -612,6 +612,20 @@ describe Repository, models: true do
     end
   end
 
+  describe '#before_import' do
+    it 'flushes the emptiness cachess' do
+      expect(repository).to receive(:expire_emptiness_caches)
+
+      repository.before_import
+    end
+
+    it 'flushes the exists cache' do
+      expect(repository).to receive(:expire_exists_cache)
+
+      repository.before_import
+    end
+  end
+
   describe '#after_import' do
     it 'flushes the emptiness cachess' do
       expect(repository).to receive(:expire_emptiness_caches)
diff --git a/spec/services/projects/import_service_spec.rb b/spec/services/projects/import_service_spec.rb
index 04f474c736cf62aa1d1b8f6a1ea206b88af6b527..32bf3acf4836d102fae390bc660503f50d519cea 100644
--- a/spec/services/projects/import_service_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/services/projects/import_service_spec.rb
@@ -72,6 +72,23 @@ describe Projects::ImportService, services: true do
         expect(result[:status]).to eq :success
       end
 
+      it 'flushes various caches' do
+        expect_any_instance_of(Gitlab::Shell).to receive(:import_repository).
+          with(project.path_with_namespace, project.import_url).
+          and_return(true)
+
+        expect_any_instance_of(Gitlab::GithubImport::Importer).to receive(:execute).
+          and_return(true)
+
+        expect_any_instance_of(Repository).to receive(:expire_emptiness_caches).
+          and_call_original
+
+        expect_any_instance_of(Repository).to receive(:expire_exists_cache).
+          and_call_original
+
+        subject.execute
+      end
+
       it 'fails if importer fails' do
         expect_any_instance_of(Gitlab::Shell).to receive(:import_repository).with(project.path_with_namespace, project.import_url).and_return(true)
         expect_any_instance_of(Gitlab::GithubImport::Importer).to receive(:execute).and_return(false)