diff --git a/savevm.c b/savevm.c
index db44ed607b..aefe052cd3 100644
--- a/savevm.c
+++ b/savevm.c
@@ -1321,7 +1321,14 @@ int qemu_savevm_state_iterate(Monitor *mon, QEMUFile *f)
         qemu_put_byte(f, QEMU_VM_SECTION_PART);
         qemu_put_be32(f, se->section_id);
 
-        ret &= !!se->save_live_state(mon, f, QEMU_VM_SECTION_PART, se->opaque);
+        ret = se->save_live_state(mon, f, QEMU_VM_SECTION_PART, se->opaque);
+        if (!ret) {
+            /* Do not proceed to the next vmstate before this one reported
+               completion of the current stage. This serializes the migration
+               and reduces the probability that a faster changing state is
+               synchronized over and over again. */
+            break;
+        }
     }
 
     if (ret)