diff --git a/python/psi-api/src/com/jetbrains/python/psi/PyPsiFacade.java b/python/psi-api/src/com/jetbrains/python/psi/PyPsiFacade.java
index 0467d5546355..b7a2002cf7ae 100644
--- a/python/psi-api/src/com/jetbrains/python/psi/PyPsiFacade.java
+++ b/python/psi-api/src/com/jetbrains/python/psi/PyPsiFacade.java
@@ -61,6 +61,14 @@ public abstract class PyPsiFacade {
   @Nullable
   public abstract PyType parseTypeAnnotation(@NotNull String annotation, @NotNull PsiElement anchor);
 
+  /**
+   * Retrieve a top-level class by its qualified name. The name provided is supposed to be <em>fully qualified absolute name</em>
+   * of the class, neither relative to the containing file of the anchor element, nor dependent on its imports.
+   * The anchor element is needed only to detect the corresponding module and its SDK.
+   *
+   * @param qName  qualified name of the required class
+   * @param anchor arbitrary element located in the same module/SDK as the required class
+   */
   @Nullable
   public abstract PyClass createClassByQName(@NotNull String qName, @NotNull PsiElement anchor);
 
diff --git a/python/src/com/jetbrains/python/psi/impl/PyPsiFacadeImpl.java b/python/src/com/jetbrains/python/psi/impl/PyPsiFacadeImpl.java
index 81c26862eeaf..5c7e79311258 100644
--- a/python/src/com/jetbrains/python/psi/impl/PyPsiFacadeImpl.java
+++ b/python/src/com/jetbrains/python/psi/impl/PyPsiFacadeImpl.java
@@ -15,16 +15,21 @@
  */
 package com.jetbrains.python.psi.impl;
 
+import com.intellij.openapi.module.Module;
+import com.intellij.openapi.module.ModuleUtilCore;
 import com.intellij.openapi.project.Project;
 import com.intellij.openapi.vfs.VirtualFile;
 import com.intellij.psi.PsiElement;
 import com.intellij.psi.util.QualifiedName;
+import com.intellij.util.ObjectUtils;
 import com.jetbrains.python.psi.PyClass;
 import com.jetbrains.python.psi.PyPsiFacade;
-import com.jetbrains.python.psi.PyUtil;
-import com.jetbrains.python.psi.resolve.*;
+import com.jetbrains.python.psi.resolve.PyQualifiedNameResolveContext;
+import com.jetbrains.python.psi.resolve.PyResolveImportUtil;
+import com.jetbrains.python.psi.resolve.QualifiedNameFinder;
 import com.jetbrains.python.psi.stubs.PyClassNameIndex;
 import com.jetbrains.python.psi.types.*;
+import one.util.streamex.StreamEx;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nullable;
 
@@ -86,8 +91,15 @@ public class PyPsiFacadeImpl extends PyPsiFacade {
   @Nullable
   @Override
   public final PyClass createClassByQName(@NotNull final String qName, @NotNull final PsiElement anchor) {
-    final PyClassType classType = PyUtil.as(parseTypeAnnotation(qName, anchor), PyClassType.class);
-    return (classType != null ? classType.getPyClass() : null);
+    final Module module = ModuleUtilCore.findModuleForPsiElement(ObjectUtils.notNull(anchor.getContainingFile(), anchor));
+    if (module == null) return null;
+    // Don't use PyResolveImportUtil.fromFoothold here as setting foothold file is going to affect resolve results
+    // particularly if the anchor element happens to be in the same file as the target class.
+    final PyQualifiedNameResolveContext resolveContext = PyResolveImportUtil.fromModule(module).copyWithMembers();
+    return StreamEx.of(resolveQualifiedName(QualifiedName.fromDottedString(qName), resolveContext))
+      .select(PyClass.class)
+      .findFirst()
+      .orElse(null);
   }
 
   @Nullable
diff --git a/python/testData/resolve/multiFile/createClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports/foo/__init__.py b/python/testData/resolve/multiFile/createClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports/foo/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e69de29bb2d1
diff --git a/python/testData/resolve/multiFile/createClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports/foo/bar.py b/python/testData/resolve/multiFile/createClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports/foo/bar.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..07d9e0efebfa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/testData/resolve/multiFile/createClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports/foo/bar.py
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+class MyClass:
+    pass
diff --git a/python/testData/resolve/multiFile/createClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports/src/CreateClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports.py b/python/testData/resolve/multiFile/createClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports/src/CreateClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..3d606ec59207
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/testData/resolve/multiFile/createClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports/src/CreateClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports.py
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+import foo
+
+print(foo)
diff --git a/python/testData/resolve/multiFile/createClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports/src/__init__.py b/python/testData/resolve/multiFile/createClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports/src/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e69de29bb2d1
diff --git a/python/testData/resolve/multiFile/createClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports/src/foo.py b/python/testData/resolve/multiFile/createClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports/src/foo.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..e69de29bb2d1
diff --git a/python/testSrc/com/jetbrains/python/PyMultiFileResolveTest.java b/python/testSrc/com/jetbrains/python/PyMultiFileResolveTest.java
index 1f77fe43ddaa..fa80a3c4ea03 100644
--- a/python/testSrc/com/jetbrains/python/PyMultiFileResolveTest.java
+++ b/python/testSrc/com/jetbrains/python/PyMultiFileResolveTest.java
@@ -588,4 +588,13 @@ public class PyMultiFileResolveTest extends PyMultiFileResolveTestCase {
   public void testIncompleteFromImport() {
     assertUnresolved();
   }
+
+  public void testCreateClassByQNameDoesntDependOnExistingImports() {
+    prepareTestDirectory();
+    runWithSourceRoots(Collections.singletonList(myFixture.findFileInTempDir("src")), () -> {
+      myFixture.configureByFile("src/" + getTestName(false) + ".py");
+      final PyPsiFacade facade = PyPsiFacade.getInstance(myFixture.getProject());
+      assertNotNull(facade.createClassByQName("foo.bar.MyClass", myFixture.getFile()));
+    });
+  }
 }
\ No newline at end of file