diff --git a/lib/email/receiver.rb b/lib/email/receiver.rb
index cb45b7d8b..18e3e2dfb 100644
--- a/lib/email/receiver.rb
+++ b/lib/email/receiver.rb
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ module Email
           raise StrangersNotAllowedError    if user.staged? && !category.email_in_allow_strangers
           raise InsufficientTrustLevelError if !user.has_trust_level?(SiteSetting.email_in_min_trust)
 
-          create_topic(user: user, raw: body, title: subject, category: category.id)
+          create_topic(user: user, raw: body, title: subject, category: category.id, skip_validations: user.staged?)
         when :reply
           email_log = destination[:obj]
 
diff --git a/spec/components/email/receiver_spec.rb b/spec/components/email/receiver_spec.rb
index 236c37204..04d52f9ec 100644
--- a/spec/components/email/receiver_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/components/email/receiver_spec.rb
@@ -273,31 +273,32 @@ describe Email::Receiver do
     let!(:category) { Fabricate(:category, email_in: "category@bar.com", email_in_allow_strangers: false) }
 
     it "raises a StrangersNotAllowedError when 'email_in_allow_strangers' is disabled" do
-      expect { process(:stranger_not_allowed) }.to raise_error(Email::Receiver::StrangersNotAllowedError)
+      expect { process(:new_user) }.to raise_error(Email::Receiver::StrangersNotAllowedError)
     end
 
     it "raises an InsufficientTrustLevelError when user's trust level isn't enough" do
+      Fabricate(:user, email: "existing@bar.com", trust_level: 3)
       SiteSetting.email_in_min_trust = 4
-      Fabricate(:user, email: "insufficient@bar.com", trust_level: 3)
-      expect { process(:insufficient_trust_level) }.to raise_error(Email::Receiver::InsufficientTrustLevelError)
+      expect { process(:existing_user) }.to raise_error(Email::Receiver::InsufficientTrustLevelError)
     end
 
-    it "raises an InvalidAccess when the user is part of a readonly group" do
-      user = Fabricate(:user, email: "readonly@bar.com", trust_level: SiteSetting.email_in_min_trust)
+    it "works" do
+      user = Fabricate(:user, email: "existing@bar.com", trust_level: SiteSetting.email_in_min_trust)
       group = Fabricate(:group)
 
       group.add(user)
       group.save
 
-      category.set_permissions(group => :readonly)
+      category.set_permissions(group => :create_post)
       category.save
 
-      expect { process(:readonly) }.to raise_error(Discourse::InvalidAccess)
-    end
+      # raises an InvalidAccess when the user doesn't have the privileges to create a topic
+      expect { process(:existing_user) }.to raise_error(Discourse::InvalidAccess)
 
-    it "works" do
-      Fabricate(:user, email: "sufficient@bar.com", trust_level: SiteSetting.email_in_min_trust)
-      expect { process(:sufficient_trust_level) }.to change(Topic, :count)
+      category.update_columns(email_in_allow_strangers: true)
+
+      # allows new user to create a topic
+      expect { process(:new_user) }.to change(Topic, :count)
     end
 
   end
diff --git a/spec/fixtures/emails/insufficient_trust_level.eml b/spec/fixtures/emails/existing_user.eml
similarity index 52%
rename from spec/fixtures/emails/insufficient_trust_level.eml
rename to spec/fixtures/emails/existing_user.eml
index 4800b432b..db41b91ac 100644
--- a/spec/fixtures/emails/insufficient_trust_level.eml
+++ b/spec/fixtures/emails/existing_user.eml
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
-Return-Path: <insufficient@bar.com>
-From: Foo Bar <insufficient@bar.com>
+Return-Path: <existing@bar.com>
+From: Foo Bar <existing@bar.com>
 To: category@bar.com
-Subject: This is a topic from a complete stranger
+Subject: This is a topic from an existing user
 Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2016 00:12:43 +0100
 Message-ID: <32@foo.bar.mail>
 Mime-Version: 1.0
 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
 
-Hey, this is a topic from a complete stranger ;)
+Hey, this is a topic from an existing user ;)
diff --git a/spec/fixtures/emails/stranger_not_allowed.eml b/spec/fixtures/emails/new_user.eml
similarity index 100%
rename from spec/fixtures/emails/stranger_not_allowed.eml
rename to spec/fixtures/emails/new_user.eml
diff --git a/spec/fixtures/emails/sufficient_trust_level.eml b/spec/fixtures/emails/sufficient_trust_level.eml
deleted file mode 100644
index cee56f11b..000000000
--- a/spec/fixtures/emails/sufficient_trust_level.eml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-Return-Path: <sufficient@bar.com>
-From: Foo Bar <sufficient@bar.com>
-To: category@bar.com
-Subject: This is a topic from a know user
-Date: Fri, 15 Jan 2016 00:12:43 +0100
-Message-ID: <33@foo.bar.mail>
-Mime-Version: 1.0
-Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
-Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
-
-Hey, this is a topic from a known user ;)