diff --git a/app/models/email_token.rb b/app/models/email_token.rb
index ce8c6b0241c..a7eb036f907 100644
--- a/app/models/email_token.rb
+++ b/app/models/email_token.rb
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ class EmailToken < ActiveRecord::Base
       end
     end
     # redeem invite, if available
-    Invite.redeem_from_email(user.email)
+    return User.find_by(email: Email.downcase(user.email)) if Invite.redeem_from_email(user.email).present?
     user
   rescue ActiveRecord::RecordInvalid
     # If the user's email is already taken, just return nil (failure)
diff --git a/app/services/user_activator.rb b/app/services/user_activator.rb
index d96c8ca981c..63defef4dc4 100644
--- a/app/services/user_activator.rb
+++ b/app/services/user_activator.rb
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ class UserActivator
   end
 
   def factory
-    if SiteSetting.must_approve_users?
+    invite = Invite.find_by(email: Email.downcase(@user.email))
+    if SiteSetting.must_approve_users? && !(invite.present? && !invite.expired? && !invite.destroyed? && invite.link_valid?)
       ApprovalActivator
     elsif !user.active?
       EmailActivator
diff --git a/spec/models/email_token_spec.rb b/spec/models/email_token_spec.rb
index 994a020bdd4..b1651ea59ac 100644
--- a/spec/models/email_token_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/email_token_spec.rb
@@ -130,7 +130,40 @@ describe EmailToken do
         expect(EmailToken.confirm(email_token.token)).to be_blank
       end
     end
+
+    context 'confirms the token and redeems invite' do
+      before do
+        SiteSetting.must_approve_users = true
+      end
+
+      let(:invite) { Fabricate(:invite, email: 'test@example.com', user_id: nil) }
+      let(:invited_user) { Fabricate(:user, active: false, email: invite.email) }
+      let(:user_email_token) { invited_user.email_tokens.first }
+      let!(:confirmed_invited_user) { EmailToken.confirm(user_email_token.token) }
+
+      it "returns the correct user" do
+        expect(confirmed_invited_user).to eq invited_user
+      end
+
+      it 'marks the user as active' do
+        confirmed_invited_user.reload
+        expect(confirmed_invited_user).to be_active
+      end
+
+      it 'marks the token as confirmed' do
+        user_email_token.reload
+        expect(user_email_token).to be_confirmed
+      end
+
+      it 'redeems invite' do
+        invite.reload
+        expect(invite).to be_redeemed
+      end
+
+      it 'marks the user as approved' do
+        expect(confirmed_invited_user).to be_approved
+      end
+    end
   end
 
 end
-