diff --git a/nova/tests/unit/virt/libvirt/test_driver.py b/nova/tests/unit/virt/libvirt/test_driver.py
index fd57192c2012..1709be407bef 100644
--- a/nova/tests/unit/virt/libvirt/test_driver.py
+++ b/nova/tests/unit/virt/libvirt/test_driver.py
@@ -14284,7 +14284,7 @@ class LibvirtConnTestCase(test.NoDBTestCase):
 
             mock_dom.XMLDesc.return_value = xmldoc
             mock_dom.isPersistent.return_value = True
-            mock_dom.blockJobInfo.return_value = {}
+            mock_dom.blockJobInfo.return_value = {'cur': 100, 'end': 100}
 
             drvr._swap_volume(guest, srcfile, dstfile, 1)
 
@@ -17557,7 +17557,8 @@ class LibvirtVolumeSnapshotTestCase(test.NoDBTestCase):
                            flags=fakelibvirt.VIR_DOMAIN_BLOCK_COMMIT_RELATIVE)
 
         domain.blockJobInfo('vda', flags=0).AndReturn({'cur': 1, 'end': 1000})
-        domain.blockJobInfo('vda', flags=0).AndReturn({})
+        domain.blockJobInfo('vda', flags=0).AndReturn({'cur': 1000,
+                                                       'end': 1000})
 
         self.mox.ReplayAll()
 
diff --git a/nova/tests/unit/virt/libvirt/test_guest.py b/nova/tests/unit/virt/libvirt/test_guest.py
index d039b72687e2..3a42cff2d1e4 100644
--- a/nova/tests/unit/virt/libvirt/test_guest.py
+++ b/nova/tests/unit/virt/libvirt/test_guest.py
@@ -622,7 +622,16 @@ class GuestBlockTestCase(test.NoDBTestCase):
             'vda', "foo", "top", 0,
             flags=fakelibvirt.VIR_DOMAIN_BLOCK_COMMIT_RELATIVE)
 
-    def test_wait_for_job(self):
+    def test_wait_for_job_cur_end_zeros(self):
+        self.domain.blockJobInfo.return_value = {
+            "type": 4,
+            "bandwidth": 18,
+            "cur": 0,
+            "end": 0}
+        in_progress = self.gblock.wait_for_job()
+        self.assertTrue(in_progress)
+
+    def test_wait_for_job_current_lower_than_end(self):
         self.domain.blockJobInfo.return_value = {
             "type": 4,
             "bandwidth": 18,
@@ -631,6 +640,7 @@ class GuestBlockTestCase(test.NoDBTestCase):
         in_progress = self.gblock.wait_for_job()
         self.assertTrue(in_progress)
 
+    def test_wait_for_job_finished(self):
         self.domain.blockJobInfo.return_value = {
             "type": 4,
             "bandwidth": 18,
@@ -639,6 +649,7 @@ class GuestBlockTestCase(test.NoDBTestCase):
         in_progress = self.gblock.wait_for_job()
         self.assertFalse(in_progress)
 
+    def test_wait_for_job_clean(self):
         self.domain.blockJobInfo.return_value = {"type": 0}
         in_progress = self.gblock.wait_for_job(wait_for_job_clean=True)
         self.assertFalse(in_progress)
diff --git a/nova/virt/libvirt/guest.py b/nova/virt/libvirt/guest.py
index 5a70376cf227..fc837904a794 100644
--- a/nova/virt/libvirt/guest.py
+++ b/nova/virt/libvirt/guest.py
@@ -695,11 +695,13 @@ class BlockDevice(object):
         Libvirt may return either cur==end or an empty dict when
         the job is complete, depending on whether the job has been
         cleaned up by libvirt yet, or not.
+        It can also return end=0 if qemu has not yet started the block
+        operation.
 
         :param abort_on_error: Whether to stop process and raise NovaException
                                on error (default: False)
         :param wait_for_job_clean: Whether to force wait to ensure job is
-                                   finished (see bug: LP#1119173)
+                                   finished (see bug: RH Bugzilla#1119173)
 
         :returns: True if still in progress
                   False if completed
@@ -714,7 +716,10 @@ class BlockDevice(object):
         if wait_for_job_clean:
             job_ended = status.job == 0
         else:
-            job_ended = status.cur == status.end
+            # NOTE(slaweq): because of bug in libvirt, which is described in
+            # http://www.redhat.com/archives/libvir-list/2016-September/msg00017.html
+            # if status.end == 0 job is not started yet so it is not finished
+            job_ended = status.end != 0 and status.cur == status.end
 
         return not job_ended