diff --git a/Documentation/networking/netdevices.rst b/Documentation/networking/netdevices.rst
index fde601acd1d2..d2a238f8cc8b 100644
--- a/Documentation/networking/netdevices.rst
+++ b/Documentation/networking/netdevices.rst
@@ -433,6 +433,8 @@ exceptions) notifiers run under the instance lock. Please extend this
 documentation whenever you make explicit assumption about lock being held
 from a notifier.
 
+Drivers **must not** generate nested notifications of the ops-locked types.
+
 NETDEV_INTERNAL symbol namespace
 ================================
 
diff --git a/net/8021q/vlan.c b/net/8021q/vlan.c
index 2b74ed56eb16..2d2efb877975 100644
--- a/net/8021q/vlan.c
+++ b/net/8021q/vlan.c
@@ -77,9 +77,9 @@ static int vlan_group_prealloc_vid(struct vlan_group *vg,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-static void vlan_stacked_transfer_operstate(const struct net_device *rootdev,
-					    struct net_device *dev,
-					    struct vlan_dev_priv *vlan)
+void vlan_stacked_transfer_operstate(const struct net_device *rootdev,
+				     struct net_device *dev,
+				     struct vlan_dev_priv *vlan)
 {
 	if (!(vlan->flags & VLAN_FLAG_BRIDGE_BINDING))
 		netif_stacked_transfer_operstate(rootdev, dev);
@@ -316,29 +316,6 @@ static void vlan_sync_address(struct net_device *dev,
 	ether_addr_copy(vlan->real_dev_addr, dev->dev_addr);
 }
 
-static void vlan_transfer_features(struct net_device *dev,
-				   struct net_device *vlandev)
-{
-	struct vlan_dev_priv *vlan = vlan_dev_priv(vlandev);
-
-	netif_inherit_tso_max(vlandev, dev);
-
-	if (vlan_hw_offload_capable(dev->features, vlan->vlan_proto))
-		vlandev->hard_header_len = dev->hard_header_len;
-	else
-		vlandev->hard_header_len = dev->hard_header_len + VLAN_HLEN;
-
-#if IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_FCOE)
-	vlandev->fcoe_ddp_xid = dev->fcoe_ddp_xid;
-#endif
-
-	vlandev->priv_flags &= ~IFF_XMIT_DST_RELEASE;
-	vlandev->priv_flags |= (vlan->real_dev->priv_flags & IFF_XMIT_DST_RELEASE);
-	vlandev->hw_enc_features = vlan_tnl_features(vlan->real_dev);
-
-	netdev_update_features(vlandev);
-}
-
 static int __vlan_device_event(struct net_device *dev, unsigned long event)
 {
 	int err = 0;
@@ -391,13 +368,11 @@ static void vlan_vid0_del(struct net_device *dev)
 static int vlan_device_event(struct notifier_block *unused, unsigned long event,
 			     void *ptr)
 {
-	struct netlink_ext_ack *extack = netdev_notifier_info_to_extack(ptr);
 	struct net_device *dev = netdev_notifier_info_to_dev(ptr);
 	struct vlan_group *grp;
 	struct vlan_info *vlan_info;
 	int i, flgs;
 	struct net_device *vlandev;
-	struct vlan_dev_priv *vlan;
 	bool last = false;
 	LIST_HEAD(list);
 	int err;
@@ -447,54 +422,19 @@ static int vlan_device_event(struct notifier_block *unused, unsigned long event,
 			if (vlandev->mtu <= dev->mtu)
 				continue;
 
-			dev_set_mtu(vlandev, dev->mtu);
+			netdev_work_sched(vlandev, VLAN_WORK_MTU);
 		}
 		break;
 
 	case NETDEV_FEAT_CHANGE:
-		/* Propagate device features to underlying device */
 		vlan_group_for_each_dev(grp, i, vlandev)
-			vlan_transfer_features(dev, vlandev);
+			netdev_work_sched(vlandev, VLAN_WORK_FEATURES);
 		break;
 
-	case NETDEV_DOWN: {
-		struct net_device *tmp;
-		LIST_HEAD(close_list);
-
-		/* Put all VLANs for this dev in the down state too.  */
-		vlan_group_for_each_dev(grp, i, vlandev) {
-			flgs = vlandev->flags;
-			if (!(flgs & IFF_UP))
-				continue;
-
-			vlan = vlan_dev_priv(vlandev);
-			if (!(vlan->flags & VLAN_FLAG_LOOSE_BINDING))
-				list_add(&vlandev->close_list, &close_list);
-		}
-
-		netif_close_many(&close_list, false);
-
-		list_for_each_entry_safe(vlandev, tmp, &close_list, close_list) {
-			vlan_stacked_transfer_operstate(dev, vlandev,
-							vlan_dev_priv(vlandev));
-			list_del_init(&vlandev->close_list);
-		}
-		list_del(&close_list);
-		break;
-	}
+	case NETDEV_DOWN:
 	case NETDEV_UP:
-		/* Put all VLANs for this dev in the up state too.  */
-		vlan_group_for_each_dev(grp, i, vlandev) {
-			flgs = netif_get_flags(vlandev);
-			if (flgs & IFF_UP)
-				continue;
-
-			vlan = vlan_dev_priv(vlandev);
-			if (!(vlan->flags & VLAN_FLAG_LOOSE_BINDING))
-				dev_change_flags(vlandev, flgs | IFF_UP,
-						 extack);
-			vlan_stacked_transfer_operstate(dev, vlandev, vlan);
-		}
+		vlan_group_for_each_dev(grp, i, vlandev)
+			netdev_work_sched(vlandev, VLAN_WORK_LINK_STATE);
 		break;
 
 	case NETDEV_UNREGISTER:
diff --git a/net/8021q/vlan.h b/net/8021q/vlan.h
index c7ffe591d593..c41caaf94095 100644
--- a/net/8021q/vlan.h
+++ b/net/8021q/vlan.h
@@ -125,6 +125,17 @@ static inline netdev_features_t vlan_tnl_features(struct net_device *real_dev)
 int vlan_filter_push_vids(struct vlan_info *vlan_info, __be16 proto);
 void vlan_filter_drop_vids(struct vlan_info *vlan_info, __be16 proto);
 
+/* netdev_work events propagated from the real device, see vlan_dev_work(). */
+enum {
+	VLAN_WORK_LINK_STATE	= BIT(0), /* sync up/down with real_dev */
+	VLAN_WORK_MTU		= BIT(1), /* clamp mtu to real_dev's */
+	VLAN_WORK_FEATURES	= BIT(2), /* re-inherit real_dev features */
+};
+
+void vlan_stacked_transfer_operstate(const struct net_device *rootdev,
+				     struct net_device *dev,
+				     struct vlan_dev_priv *vlan);
+
 /* found in vlan_dev.c */
 void vlan_dev_set_ingress_priority(const struct net_device *dev,
 				   u32 skb_prio, u16 vlan_prio);
diff --git a/net/8021q/vlan_dev.c b/net/8021q/vlan_dev.c
index 7aa3af8b10ea..ec2569b3f8da 100644
--- a/net/8021q/vlan_dev.c
+++ b/net/8021q/vlan_dev.c
@@ -270,6 +270,9 @@ static int vlan_dev_open(struct net_device *dev)
 	    !(vlan->flags & VLAN_FLAG_LOOSE_BINDING))
 		return -ENETDOWN;
 
+	/* The explicit open supersedes any deferred link-state sync */
+	netdev_work_cancel(dev, VLAN_WORK_LINK_STATE);
+
 	if (!ether_addr_equal(dev->dev_addr, real_dev->dev_addr) &&
 	    !vlan_dev_inherit_address(dev, real_dev)) {
 		err = dev_uc_add(real_dev, dev->dev_addr);
@@ -300,6 +303,9 @@ static int vlan_dev_stop(struct net_device *dev)
 	struct vlan_dev_priv *vlan = vlan_dev_priv(dev);
 	struct net_device *real_dev = vlan->real_dev;
 
+	/* The explicit close supersedes any deferred link-state sync */
+	netdev_work_cancel(dev, VLAN_WORK_LINK_STATE);
+
 	dev_mc_unsync(real_dev, dev);
 	dev_uc_unsync(real_dev, dev);
 
@@ -1016,6 +1022,59 @@ static const struct ethtool_ops vlan_ethtool_ops = {
 	.get_ts_info		= vlan_ethtool_get_ts_info,
 };
 
+static void vlan_transfer_features(struct net_device *dev,
+				   struct net_device *vlandev)
+{
+	struct vlan_dev_priv *vlan = vlan_dev_priv(vlandev);
+
+	netif_inherit_tso_max(vlandev, dev);
+
+	if (vlan_hw_offload_capable(dev->features, vlan->vlan_proto))
+		vlandev->hard_header_len = dev->hard_header_len;
+	else
+		vlandev->hard_header_len = dev->hard_header_len + VLAN_HLEN;
+
+#if IS_ENABLED(CONFIG_FCOE)
+	vlandev->fcoe_ddp_xid = dev->fcoe_ddp_xid;
+#endif
+
+	vlandev->priv_flags &= ~IFF_XMIT_DST_RELEASE;
+	vlandev->priv_flags |= (vlan->real_dev->priv_flags & IFF_XMIT_DST_RELEASE);
+	vlandev->hw_enc_features = vlan_tnl_features(vlan->real_dev);
+
+	netdev_update_features(vlandev);
+}
+
+static void vlan_dev_work(struct net_device *vlandev, unsigned long events)
+{
+	struct vlan_dev_priv *vlan = vlan_dev_priv(vlandev);
+	struct net_device *real_dev = vlan->real_dev;
+	bool loose = vlan->flags & VLAN_FLAG_LOOSE_BINDING;
+	unsigned int flgs;
+
+	if (events & VLAN_WORK_LINK_STATE) {
+		flgs = netif_get_flags(vlandev);
+		if (real_dev->flags & IFF_UP) {
+			if (!(flgs & IFF_UP)) {
+				if (!loose)
+					netif_change_flags(vlandev,
+							   flgs | IFF_UP, NULL);
+				vlan_stacked_transfer_operstate(real_dev,
+								vlandev, vlan);
+			}
+		} else if ((flgs & IFF_UP) && !loose) {
+			netif_change_flags(vlandev, flgs & ~IFF_UP, NULL);
+			vlan_stacked_transfer_operstate(real_dev, vlandev, vlan);
+		}
+	}
+
+	if ((events & VLAN_WORK_MTU) && vlandev->mtu > real_dev->mtu)
+		netif_set_mtu(vlandev, real_dev->mtu);
+
+	if (events & VLAN_WORK_FEATURES)
+		vlan_transfer_features(real_dev, vlandev);
+}
+
 static const struct net_device_ops vlan_netdev_ops = {
 	.ndo_change_mtu		= vlan_dev_change_mtu,
 	.ndo_init		= vlan_dev_init,
@@ -1027,6 +1086,7 @@ static const struct net_device_ops vlan_netdev_ops = {
 	.ndo_set_mac_address	= vlan_dev_set_mac_address,
 	.ndo_set_rx_mode	= vlan_dev_set_rx_mode,
 	.ndo_change_rx_flags	= vlan_dev_change_rx_flags,
+	.ndo_work		= vlan_dev_work,
 	.ndo_eth_ioctl		= vlan_dev_ioctl,
 	.ndo_neigh_setup	= vlan_dev_neigh_setup,
 	.ndo_get_stats64	= vlan_dev_get_stats64,
diff --git a/net/core/dev.c b/net/core/dev.c
index e1d8af0ef6ab..4b3d5cfdf6e0 100644
--- a/net/core/dev.c
+++ b/net/core/dev.c
@@ -9822,6 +9822,7 @@ int netif_change_flags(struct net_device *dev, unsigned int flags,
 	__dev_notify_flags(dev, old_flags, changes, 0, NULL);
 	return ret;
 }
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(netif_change_flags);
 
 int __netif_set_mtu(struct net_device *dev, int new_mtu)
 {