diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8af948eb..63dbf0d8 100755
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ postcssImport({
 ([#147](https://github.com/postcss/postcss-import/pull/147))
 - Added: detect css extension in package.json `main` field
 ([153](https://github.com/postcss/postcss-import/pull/153))
+- Changed: `options.plugins` are applied to unprocessed ast before imports detecting
+([157](https://github.com/postcss/postcss-import/pull/157))
 
 # 7.1.3 - 2015-11-05
 
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index c6e678ec..bcd69f44 100755
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -310,41 +310,37 @@ function loadImportContent(
       return
     }
 
-    var newStyles = postcss().process(content, {
+    return processor.process(content, {
       from: filename,
       syntax: result.opts.syntax,
       parser: result.opts.parser,
-    }).root
-
-    if (options.skipDuplicates) {
-      var hasImport = newStyles.some(function(child) {
-        return child.type === "atrule" && child.name === "import"
-      })
-      if (!hasImport) {
-        // save hash files to skip them next time
-        if (!state.hashFiles[content]) {
-          state.hashFiles[content] = {}
+    })
+    .then(function(importedResult) {
+      var styles = importedResult.root
+      result.messages = result.messages.concat(importedResult.messages)
+
+      if (options.skipDuplicates) {
+        var hasImport = styles.some(function(child) {
+          return child.type === "atrule" && child.name === "import"
+        })
+        if (!hasImport) {
+          // save hash files to skip them next time
+          if (!state.hashFiles[content]) {
+            state.hashFiles[content] = {}
+          }
+          state.hashFiles[content][media] = true
         }
-        state.hashFiles[content][media] = true
       }
-    }
 
-    // recursion: import @import from imported file
-    return parseStyles(
-      result,
-      newStyles,
-      options,
-      state,
-      media,
-      processor
-    )
-    .then(function(statements) {
-      return processor.process(newStyles)
-      .then(function(newResult) {
-        result.messages = result.messages.concat(newResult.messages)
-
-        return statements
-      })
+      // recursion: import @import from imported file
+      return parseStyles(
+        result,
+        styles,
+        options,
+        state,
+        media,
+        processor
+      )
     })
   })
 }
diff --git a/test/fixtures/plugins.css b/test/fixtures/plugins.css
index 2db3907d..4c5a01e9 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/plugins.css
+++ b/test/fixtures/plugins.css
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
-@import "foo-decl";
-@import "bar-decl";
+@import 'foo/index.css';
+@import 'bar.css';
+@level-1-1 {}
+@level-1-2 {}
diff --git a/test/fixtures/plugins.expected.css b/test/fixtures/plugins.expected.css
index dc1c10dd..d6eb96b0 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/plugins.expected.css
+++ b/test/fixtures/plugins.expected.css
@@ -1,6 +1,3 @@
-body {
-  baz: baz;
-}
-body {
-  qux: qux;
-}
+foo-converted {}
+@level-1-1 {}
+@level-1-2 {}
diff --git a/test/plugins.js b/test/plugins.js
index d5b8bd8c..65248a91 100644
--- a/test/plugins.js
+++ b/test/plugins.js
@@ -4,25 +4,33 @@ import scss from "postcss-scss"
 import atImport from ".."
 import compareFixtures from "./lib/compare-fixtures"
 
-test("should apply plugins", t => {
+test("should apply plugins to root", t => {
+  const atRules = []
+  const rules = []
   return compareFixtures(t, "plugins", {
     plugins: [
-      postcss.plugin("postcss-no-foo", () => {
-        return css => {
-          css.walkDecls("foo", decl => {
-            decl.remove()
-          })
-        }
-      }),
-      postcss.plugin("postcss-no-bar", () => {
-        return css => {
-          css.walkDecls("bar", decl => {
-            decl.remove()
-          })
-        }
-      }),
+      css => {
+        css.walk(node => {
+          if (node.type === "rule") {
+            rules.push(node.selector)
+            if (node.selector === "bar") {
+              node.remove()
+            }
+            else {
+              node.selector += "-converted"
+            }
+          }
+          if (node.type === "atrule") {
+            atRules.push(node.name)
+          }
+        })
+      },
     ],
   })
+  .then(() => {
+    t.same(atRules, [ "import" ])
+    t.same(rules, [ "bar", "foo" ])
+  })
 })
 
 test("should error when value is not an array", t => {