diff --git a/tests/qtest/migration-helpers.c b/tests/qtest/migration-helpers.c
index ed8d812e9d..b2a90469fb 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/migration-helpers.c
+++ b/tests/qtest/migration-helpers.c
@@ -133,10 +133,6 @@ static void migrate_set_ports(QTestState *to, QList *channel_list)
     QListEntry *entry;
     g_autofree const char *addr_port = NULL;
 
-    if (channel_list == NULL) {
-        return;
-    }
-
     addr = migrate_get_connect_qdict(to);
 
     QLIST_FOREACH_ENTRY(channel_list, entry) {
@@ -208,11 +204,10 @@ void migrate_qmp_fail(QTestState *who, const char *uri,
  * qobject_from_jsonf_nofail()) with "uri": @uri spliced in.
  */
 void migrate_qmp(QTestState *who, QTestState *to, const char *uri,
-                 const char *fmt, ...)
+                 const char *channels, const char *fmt, ...)
 {
     va_list ap;
     QDict *args;
-    QList *channel_list = NULL;
     g_autofree char *connect_uri = NULL;
 
     va_start(ap, fmt);
@@ -220,11 +215,20 @@ void migrate_qmp(QTestState *who, QTestState *to, const char *uri,
     va_end(ap);
 
     g_assert(!qdict_haskey(args, "uri"));
-    if (!uri) {
+    if (uri) {
+        qdict_put_str(args, "uri", uri);
+    } else if (!channels) {
         connect_uri = migrate_get_connect_uri(to);
+        qdict_put_str(args, "uri", connect_uri);
+    }
+
+    g_assert(!qdict_haskey(args, "channels"));
+    if (channels) {
+        QObject *channels_obj = qobject_from_json(channels, &error_abort);
+        QList *channel_list = qobject_to(QList, channels_obj);
+        migrate_set_ports(to, channel_list);
+        qdict_put_obj(args, "channels", channels_obj);
     }
-    migrate_set_ports(to, channel_list);
-    qdict_put_str(args, "uri", uri ? uri : connect_uri);
 
     qtest_qmp_assert_success(who,
                              "{ 'execute': 'migrate', 'arguments': %p}", args);
diff --git a/tests/qtest/migration-helpers.h b/tests/qtest/migration-helpers.h
index 4e664148a5..1339835698 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/migration-helpers.h
+++ b/tests/qtest/migration-helpers.h
@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@ typedef struct QTestMigrationState {
 bool migrate_watch_for_events(QTestState *who, const char *name,
                               QDict *event, void *opaque);
 
-G_GNUC_PRINTF(4, 5)
+G_GNUC_PRINTF(5, 6)
 void migrate_qmp(QTestState *who, QTestState *to, const char *uri,
-                 const char *fmt, ...);
+                 const char *channels, const char *fmt, ...);
 
 G_GNUC_PRINTF(3, 4)
 void migrate_incoming_qmp(QTestState *who, const char *uri,
diff --git a/tests/qtest/migration-test.c b/tests/qtest/migration-test.c
index cda07f8f97..62e52a29cc 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/migration-test.c
+++ b/tests/qtest/migration-test.c
@@ -1301,7 +1301,7 @@ static int migrate_postcopy_prepare(QTestState **from_ptr,
     wait_for_serial("src_serial");
     wait_for_suspend(from, &src_state);
 
-    migrate_qmp(from, to, NULL, "{}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to, NULL, NULL, "{}");
 
     migrate_wait_for_dirty_mem(from, to);
 
@@ -1451,7 +1451,7 @@ static void postcopy_recover_fail(QTestState *from, QTestState *to)
     g_assert_cmpint(ret, ==, 1);
 
     migrate_recover(to, "fd:fd-mig");
-    migrate_qmp(from, to, "fd:fd-mig", "{'resume': true}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to, "fd:fd-mig", NULL, "{'resume': true}");
 
     /*
      * Make sure both QEMU instances will go into RECOVER stage, then test
@@ -1539,7 +1539,7 @@ static void test_postcopy_recovery_common(MigrateCommon *args)
      * Try to rebuild the migration channel using the resume flag and
      * the newly created channel
      */
-    migrate_qmp(from, to, uri, "{'resume': true}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to, uri, NULL, "{'resume': true}");
 
     /* Restore the postcopy bandwidth to unlimited */
     migrate_set_parameter_int(from, "max-postcopy-bandwidth", 0);
@@ -1620,7 +1620,7 @@ static void test_baddest(void)
     if (test_migrate_start(&from, &to, "tcp:127.0.0.1:0", &args)) {
         return;
     }
-    migrate_qmp(from, to, "tcp:127.0.0.1:0", "{}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to, "tcp:127.0.0.1:0", NULL, "{}");
     wait_for_migration_fail(from, false);
     test_migrate_end(from, to, false);
 }
@@ -1659,7 +1659,7 @@ static void test_analyze_script(void)
     uri = g_strdup_printf("exec:cat > %s", file);
 
     migrate_ensure_converge(from);
-    migrate_qmp(from, to, uri, "{}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to, uri, NULL, "{}");
     wait_for_migration_complete(from);
 
     pid = fork();
@@ -1721,7 +1721,7 @@ static void test_precopy_common(MigrateCommon *args)
         goto finish;
     }
 
-    migrate_qmp(from, to, args->connect_uri, "{}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to, args->connect_uri, NULL, "{}");
 
     if (args->result != MIG_TEST_SUCCEED) {
         bool allow_active = args->result == MIG_TEST_FAIL;
@@ -1816,7 +1816,7 @@ static void test_file_common(MigrateCommon *args, bool stop_src)
         goto finish;
     }
 
-    migrate_qmp(from, to, args->connect_uri, "{}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to, args->connect_uri, NULL, "{}");
     wait_for_migration_complete(from);
 
     /*
@@ -1972,7 +1972,7 @@ static void test_ignore_shared(void)
     /* Wait for the first serial output from the source */
     wait_for_serial("src_serial");
 
-    migrate_qmp(from, to, uri, "{}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to, uri, NULL, "{}");
 
     migrate_wait_for_dirty_mem(from, to);
 
@@ -2548,7 +2548,7 @@ static void do_test_validate_uuid(MigrateStart *args, bool should_fail)
     /* Wait for the first serial output from the source */
     wait_for_serial("src_serial");
 
-    migrate_qmp(from, to, uri, "{}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to, uri, NULL, "{}");
 
     if (should_fail) {
         qtest_set_expected_status(to, EXIT_FAILURE);
@@ -2651,7 +2651,7 @@ static void test_migrate_auto_converge(void)
     /* Wait for the first serial output from the source */
     wait_for_serial("src_serial");
 
-    migrate_qmp(from, to, uri, "{}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to, uri, NULL, "{}");
 
     /* Wait for throttling begins */
     percentage = 0;
@@ -3017,7 +3017,7 @@ static void test_multifd_tcp_cancel(void)
     /* Wait for the first serial output from the source */
     wait_for_serial("src_serial");
 
-    migrate_qmp(from, to, NULL, "{}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to, NULL, NULL, "{}");
 
     migrate_wait_for_dirty_mem(from, to);
 
@@ -3046,7 +3046,7 @@ static void test_multifd_tcp_cancel(void)
 
     migrate_ensure_non_converge(from);
 
-    migrate_qmp(from, to2, NULL, "{}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to2, NULL, NULL, "{}");
 
     migrate_wait_for_dirty_mem(from, to2);
 
@@ -3379,7 +3379,7 @@ static void test_migrate_dirty_limit(void)
     migrate_dirty_limit_wait_showup(from, dirtylimit_period, dirtylimit_value);
 
     /* Start migrate */
-    migrate_qmp(from, to, args.connect_uri, "{}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to, args.connect_uri, NULL, "{}");
 
     /* Wait for dirty limit throttle begin */
     throttle_us_per_full = 0;
@@ -3420,7 +3420,7 @@ static void test_migrate_dirty_limit(void)
     }
 
     /* Start migrate */
-    migrate_qmp(from, to, args.connect_uri, "{}");
+    migrate_qmp(from, to, args.connect_uri, NULL, "{}");
 
     /* Wait for dirty limit throttle begin */
     throttle_us_per_full = 0;
