diff --git a/app/controllers/users_controller.rb b/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
index b43281481cf..e35ff0e34f8 100644
--- a/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/users_controller.rb
@@ -1193,11 +1193,7 @@ class UsersController < ApplicationController
     options[:category_id] = category_id if category_id
 
     results = UserSearch.new(term, options).search
-
-    user_fields = [:username, :upload_avatar_template]
-    user_fields << :name if SiteSetting.enable_names?
-
-    to_render = { users: results.as_json(only: user_fields, methods: [:avatar_template]) }
+    to_render = serialize_found_users(results)
 
     # blank term is only handy for in-topic search of users after @
     # we do not want group results ever if term is blank
@@ -1969,4 +1965,12 @@ class UsersController < ApplicationController
       error: message
     }
   end
+
+  def serialize_found_users(users)
+    each_serializer = SiteSetting.enable_user_status? ?
+      FoundUserWithStatusSerializer :
+      FoundUserSerializer
+
+    { users: ActiveModel::ArraySerializer.new(users, each_serializer: each_serializer).as_json }
+  end
 end
diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index a22dc3ad7b2..c828313239d 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -1619,7 +1619,7 @@ class User < ActiveRecord::Base
     publish_user_status(nil)
   end
 
-  def set_status!(description, emoji, ends_at)
+  def set_status!(description, emoji, ends_at = nil)
     status = {
       description: description,
       emoji: emoji,
diff --git a/app/models/user_search.rb b/app/models/user_search.rb
index c7d4fdff8d5..baa25dfffac 100644
--- a/app/models/user_search.rb
+++ b/app/models/user_search.rb
@@ -179,10 +179,16 @@ class UserSearch
     ids = search_ids
     return User.where("0=1") if ids.empty?
 
-    User.joins("JOIN (SELECT unnest uid, row_number() OVER () AS rn
+    results = User.joins("JOIN (SELECT unnest uid, row_number() OVER () AS rn
       FROM unnest('{#{ids.join(",")}}'::int[])
     ) x on uid = users.id")
       .order("rn")
+
+    if SiteSetting.enable_user_status
+      results = results.includes(:user_status)
+    end
+
+    results
   end
 
 end
diff --git a/app/serializers/found_user_serializer.rb b/app/serializers/found_user_serializer.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6bdf045563f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/serializers/found_user_serializer.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+class FoundUserSerializer < ApplicationSerializer
+  attributes :username, :name, :avatar_template
+
+  def include_name?
+    SiteSetting.enable_names?
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/serializers/found_user_with_status_serializer.rb b/app/serializers/found_user_with_status_serializer.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7e4278e22f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/serializers/found_user_with_status_serializer.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+class FoundUserWithStatusSerializer < FoundUserSerializer
+  attributes :status
+
+  def include_status?
+    SiteSetting.enable_user_status && object.has_status?
+  end
+
+  def status
+    UserStatusSerializer.new(object.user_status, root: false)
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/requests/users_controller_spec.rb b/spec/requests/users_controller_spec.rb
index 3e4503ac36c..632cc38cb44 100644
--- a/spec/requests/users_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/requests/users_controller_spec.rb
@@ -4536,6 +4536,42 @@ RSpec.describe UsersController do
         expect(json["users"].size).to eq(limit)
       end
     end
+
+    it "returns avatar_template" do
+      get "/u/search/users.json", params: { term: user.username }
+      expect(response.status).to eq(200)
+      json = response.parsed_body
+      expect(json["users"][0]).to have_key("avatar_template")
+      expect(json["users"][0]["avatar_template"]).to eq("/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/f475e1/{size}.png")
+    end
+
+    describe "#status" do
+      it "returns user status if enabled in site settings" do
+        SiteSetting.enable_user_status = true
+        emoji = "tooth"
+        description = "off to dentist"
+        user.set_status!(description, emoji)
+
+        get "/u/search/users.json", params: { term: user.name }
+
+        expect(response.status).to eq(200)
+        json = response.parsed_body
+        expect(json["users"][0]).to have_key("status")
+        expect(json["users"][0]["status"]["description"]).to eq(description)
+        expect(json["users"][0]["status"]["emoji"]).to eq(emoji)
+      end
+
+      it "doesn't return user status if disabled in site settings" do
+        SiteSetting.enable_user_status = false
+        user.set_status!("off to dentist", "tooth")
+
+        get "/u/search/users.json", params: { term: user.name }
+
+        expect(response.status).to eq(200)
+        json = response.parsed_body
+        expect(json["users"][0]).not_to have_key("status")
+      end
+    end
   end
 
   describe '#email_login' do
diff --git a/spec/serializers/found_user_serializer_spec.rb b/spec/serializers/found_user_serializer_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ed76d371b59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/serializers/found_user_serializer_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+RSpec.describe FoundUserSerializer do
+  fab!(:user) { Fabricate(:user) }
+  let(:serializer) { described_class.new(user, root: false) }
+
+  describe '#name' do
+    it "returns name if enabled in site settings" do
+      SiteSetting.enable_names = true
+      json = serializer.as_json
+      expect(json.keys).to include :name
+      expect(json[:name]).to eq(user.name)
+    end
+
+    it "doesn't return name if disabled in site settings" do
+      SiteSetting.enable_names = false
+      json = serializer.as_json
+      expect(json.keys).not_to include :name
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/serializers/found_user_with_status_serializer_spec.rb b/spec/serializers/found_user_with_status_serializer_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6254f557152
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/serializers/found_user_with_status_serializer_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+RSpec.describe FoundUserWithStatusSerializer do
+  fab!(:user_status) { Fabricate(:user_status) }
+  fab!(:user) { Fabricate(:user, user_status: user_status) }
+  let(:serializer) { described_class.new(user, root: false) }
+
+  describe "#status" do
+    it "adds user status when enabled" do
+      SiteSetting.enable_user_status = true
+
+      json = serializer.as_json
+
+      expect(json[:status]).to_not be_nil do |status|
+        expect(status.description).to eq(user_status.description)
+        expect(status.emoji).to eq(user_status.emoji)
+      end
+    end
+
+    it "doesn't add user status when disabled" do
+      SiteSetting.enable_user_status = false
+      json = serializer.as_json
+      expect(json.keys).not_to include :status
+    end
+
+    it "doesn't add expired user status" do
+      SiteSetting.enable_user_status = true
+
+      user.user_status.ends_at = 1.minutes.ago
+      serializer = described_class.new(user, scope: Guardian.new(user), root: false)
+      json = serializer.as_json
+
+      expect(json.keys).not_to include :status
+    end
+
+    it "doesn't return status if user doesn't have it" do
+      SiteSetting.enable_user_status = true
+
+      user.clear_status!
+      user.reload
+      json = serializer.as_json
+
+      expect(json.keys).not_to include :status
+    end
+  end
+end