diff --git a/src/user/create.js b/src/user/create.js
index a278297db7..f0ef5f37fc 100644
--- a/src/user/create.js
+++ b/src/user/create.js
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ module.exports = function (User) {
 		}
 
 		if (userData.email && userData.uid > 1) {
-			User.email.sendValidationEmail(userData.uid, {
+			await User.email.sendValidationEmail(userData.uid, {
 				email: userData.email,
 				template: 'welcome',
 				subject: `[[email:welcome-to, ${meta.config.title || meta.config.browserTitle || 'NodeBB'}]]`,
diff --git a/test/user.js b/test/user.js
index f8e09d7493..875e5fab1e 100644
--- a/test/user.js
+++ b/test/user.js
@@ -81,13 +81,14 @@ describe('User', () => {
 		});
 
 		it('should be created properly', async () => {
-			const uid = await User.create({ username: 'weirdemail', email: '<h1>test</h1>@gmail.com' });
+			const email = '<h1>test</h1>@gmail.com';
+			const uid = await User.create({ username: 'weirdemail', email: email });
 			const data = await User.getUserData(uid);
 
-			const validationPending = await User.email.isValidationPending(uid, '<h1>test</h1>@gmail.com');
+			const validationPending = await User.email.isValidationPending(uid, email);
 			assert.strictEqual(validationPending, true);
 
-			assert.equal(data.email, '');
+			assert.equal(data.email, '&lt;h1&gt;test&lt;&#x2F;h1&gt;@gmail.com');
 			assert.strictEqual(data.profileviews, 0);
 			assert.strictEqual(data.reputation, 0);
 			assert.strictEqual(data.postcount, 0);