diff --git a/java/java-psi-impl/src/com/intellij/core/CoreJavaPsiImplementationHelper.java b/java/java-psi-impl/src/com/intellij/core/CoreJavaPsiImplementationHelper.java
index dd5df51e31e1..a0d9d0e02989 100644
--- a/java/java-psi-impl/src/com/intellij/core/CoreJavaPsiImplementationHelper.java
+++ b/java/java-psi-impl/src/com/intellij/core/CoreJavaPsiImplementationHelper.java
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ package com.intellij.core;
 import com.intellij.lang.ASTNode;
 import com.intellij.model.psi.PsiSymbolReference;
 import com.intellij.openapi.project.Project;
+import com.intellij.openapi.util.Key;
 import com.intellij.openapi.vfs.VirtualFile;
 import com.intellij.pom.java.LanguageLevel;
 import com.intellij.psi.*;
@@ -14,6 +15,8 @@ import com.intellij.psi.util.PsiUtil;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nullable;
 
+import java.util.Objects;
+
 
 public class CoreJavaPsiImplementationHelper extends JavaPsiImplementationHelper {
   private final Project myProject;
@@ -39,9 +42,24 @@ public class CoreJavaPsiImplementationHelper extends JavaPsiImplementationHelper
 
   @Override
   public @NotNull LanguageLevel getEffectiveLanguageLevel(@Nullable VirtualFile virtualFile) {
+    if (virtualFile != null) {
+      synchronized (virtualFile) {
+        LanguageLevel level = virtualFile.getUserData(FORCED_LANGUAGE_LEVEL_KEY);
+        if (level != null) return level;
+      }
+    }
     return PsiUtil.getLanguageLevel(myProject);
   }
 
+  public boolean setEffectiveLanguageLevel(@NotNull VirtualFile file, @Nullable LanguageLevel level) {
+    synchronized (file) {
+      LanguageLevel previousHolder = file.getUserData(FORCED_LANGUAGE_LEVEL_KEY);
+      if (Objects.equals(previousHolder, level)) return false;
+      file.putUserData(FORCED_LANGUAGE_LEVEL_KEY, level);
+      return true;
+    }
+  }
+
   @Override
   public ASTNode getDefaultImportAnchor(@NotNull PsiImportList list, @NotNull PsiImportStatementBase statement) {
     throw new UnsupportedOperationException("TODO");
@@ -70,4 +88,6 @@ public class CoreJavaPsiImplementationHelper extends JavaPsiImplementationHelper
   public @NotNull Project getProject() {
     return myProject;
   }
+
+  private static final Key<LanguageLevel> FORCED_LANGUAGE_LEVEL_KEY = Key.create("FORCED_LANGUAGE_LEVEL_KEY");
 }
\ No newline at end of file