diff --git a/lib/Models/Subscriber.php b/lib/Models/Subscriber.php
index c7b03043de..3bc6ca5adf 100644
--- a/lib/Models/Subscriber.php
+++ b/lib/Models/Subscriber.php
@@ -794,7 +794,8 @@ class Subscriber extends Model {
     $ignore_columns_on_update = array(
       'wp_user_id',
       'email',
-      'created_at'
+      'created_at',
+      'status'
     );
     // check if there is anything to update after excluding ignored columns
     if(!array_diff($columns, $ignore_columns_on_update)) return;
diff --git a/lib/Subscribers/ImportExport/Import/Import.php b/lib/Subscribers/ImportExport/Import/Import.php
index dda7c75093..34b4dbc27e 100644
--- a/lib/Subscribers/ImportExport/Import/Import.php
+++ b/lib/Subscribers/ImportExport/Import/Import.php
@@ -106,8 +106,6 @@ class Import {
       if($new_subscribers['data']) {
         // add, if required, missing required fields to new subscribers
         $new_subscribers = $this->addMissingRequiredFields($new_subscribers);
-        // filter contents of the "status" field
-        $new_subscribers = $this->filterSubscribersStatus($new_subscribers);
         $created_subscribers =
           $this->createOrUpdateSubscribers(
             'create',
@@ -116,8 +114,6 @@ class Import {
           );
       }
       if($existing_subscribers['data'] && $this->update_subscribers) {
-        // filter contents of the "status" field
-        $existing_subscribers = $this->filterSubscribersStatus($existing_subscribers);
         $updated_subscribers =
           $this->createOrUpdateSubscribers(
             'update',
@@ -299,49 +295,6 @@ class Import {
     );
   }
 
-  function filterSubscribersStatus($subscribers_data) {
-    if(!in_array('status', $subscribers_data['fields'])) return $subscribers_data;
-    $statuses = array(
-      Subscriber::STATUS_SUBSCRIBED => array(
-        'subscribed',
-        'confirmed',
-        1,
-        '1',
-        'true'
-      ),
-      Subscriber::STATUS_UNCONFIRMED => array(
-        'unconfirmed',
-        0,
-        "0"
-      ),
-      Subscriber::STATUS_UNSUBSCRIBED => array(
-        'unsubscribed',
-        -1,
-        '-1',
-        'false'
-      ),
-      Subscriber::STATUS_BOUNCED => array(
-        'bounced'
-      )
-    );
-    $subscribers_data['data']['status'] = array_map(function($state) use ($statuses) {
-      if(in_array(strtolower($state), $statuses[Subscriber::STATUS_SUBSCRIBED], true)) {
-        return Subscriber::STATUS_SUBSCRIBED;
-      }
-      if(in_array(strtolower($state), $statuses[Subscriber::STATUS_UNSUBSCRIBED], true)) {
-        return Subscriber::STATUS_UNSUBSCRIBED;
-      }
-      if(in_array(strtolower($state), $statuses[Subscriber::STATUS_UNCONFIRMED], true)) {
-        return Subscriber::STATUS_UNCONFIRMED;
-      }
-      if(in_array(strtolower($state), $statuses[Subscriber::STATUS_BOUNCED], true)) {
-        return Subscriber::STATUS_BOUNCED;
-      }
-      return Subscriber::STATUS_SUBSCRIBED;
-    }, $subscribers_data['data']['status']);
-    return $subscribers_data;
-  }
-
   function createOrUpdateSubscribers(
     $action,
     $subscribers_data,
diff --git a/tests/unit/Models/SubscriberTest.php b/tests/unit/Models/SubscriberTest.php
index 4efa5039e9..67bb92762e 100644
--- a/tests/unit/Models/SubscriberTest.php
+++ b/tests/unit/Models/SubscriberTest.php
@@ -383,29 +383,35 @@ class SubscriberTest extends \MailPoetTest {
     $columns = array(
       'first_name',
       'last_name',
-      'email'
+      'email',
+      'status'
     );
     $values = array(
       array(
         'first_name' => 'Adam',
         'last_name' => 'Smith',
-        'email' => 'adam@smith.com'
+        'email' => 'adam@smith.com',
+        'status' => 'unsubscribed'
       ),
       array(
         'first_name' => 'Mary',
         'last_name' => 'Jane',
-        'email' => 'mary@jane.com'
+        'email' => 'mary@jane.com',
+        'status' => 'unsubscribed'
       )
     );
     Subscriber::createMultiple($columns, $values);
     $subscribers = Subscriber::findArray();
     expect(count($subscribers))->equals(2);
     expect($subscribers[1]['email'])->equals($values[1]['email']);
+    expect($subscribers[1]['status'])->equals($values[1]['status']);
 
     $values[0]['first_name'] = 'John';
+    $values[0]['status'] = 'subscribed';
     Subscriber::updateMultiple($columns, $values);
     $subscribers = Subscriber::findArray();
     expect($subscribers[0]['first_name'])->equals($values[0]['first_name']);
+    expect($subscribers[0]['status'])->equals('unsubscribed');
   }
 
   function testItCanSubscribe() {
diff --git a/tests/unit/Subscribers/ImportExport/Import/ImportTest.php b/tests/unit/Subscribers/ImportExport/Import/ImportTest.php
index f1e8bf7ab6..aee1fd31f4 100644
--- a/tests/unit/Subscribers/ImportExport/Import/ImportTest.php
+++ b/tests/unit/Subscribers/ImportExport/Import/ImportTest.php
@@ -251,58 +251,6 @@ class ImportTest extends \MailPoetTest {
     expect($fields)->equals(array(39));
   }
 
-  function testItFiltersSubscribersStatus() {
-    $subscribers_data = array(
-      'fields' => array('status'),
-      'data' => array(
-        'status' => array(
-          #subscribed
-          'subscribed',
-          'confirmed',
-          1,
-          '1',
-          'true',
-          #unconfirmed
-          'unconfirmed',
-          0,
-          "0",
-          #unsubscribed
-          'unsubscribed',
-          -1,
-          '-1',
-          'false',
-          #bounced
-          'bounced',
-          #unexpected
-          'qwerty',
-          null
-        ),
-      )
-    );
-    $result = $this->import->filterSubscribersStatus($subscribers_data);
-    expect($result['data'])->equals(
-      array(
-        'status' => array(
-          'subscribed',
-          'subscribed',
-          'subscribed',
-          'subscribed',
-          'subscribed',
-          'unconfirmed',
-          'unconfirmed',
-          'unconfirmed',
-          'unsubscribed',
-          'unsubscribed',
-          'unsubscribed',
-          'unsubscribed',
-          'bounced',
-          'subscribed',
-          'subscribed'
-        )
-      )
-    );
-  }
-
   function testItAddsOrUpdatesSubscribers() {
     $subscribers_data = array(
       'data' => $this->subscribers_data,
@@ -469,10 +417,10 @@ class ImportTest extends \MailPoetTest {
     expect($updated_subscriber->status)->equals('unsubscribed');
   }
 
-  function testItUpdatesExistingSubscribersStatusWhenStatusColumnIsPresent() {
+  function testItDoesNotUpdateExistingSubscribersStatusWhenStatusColumnIsPresent() {
     $data = $this->data;
     $data['columns']['status'] = array('index' => 4);
-    $data['subscribers'][0][] = 'unsubscribed';
+    $data['subscribers'][0][] = 'subscribed';
     $data['subscribers'][1][] = 'subscribed';
     $import = new Import($data);
     $existing_subscriber = Subscriber::create();
@@ -481,7 +429,7 @@ class ImportTest extends \MailPoetTest {
         'first_name' => 'Adam',
         'last_name' => 'Smith',
         'email' => 'Adam@Smith.com',
-        'status' => 'subscribed'
+        'status' => 'unsubscribed'
       ));
     $existing_subscriber->save();
     $result = $import->process();
diff --git a/tests/unit/Subscribers/ImportExport/ImportExportFactoryTest.php b/tests/unit/Subscribers/ImportExport/ImportExportFactoryTest.php
index 365ea51413..258c215abd 100644
--- a/tests/unit/Subscribers/ImportExport/ImportExportFactoryTest.php
+++ b/tests/unit/Subscribers/ImportExport/ImportExportFactoryTest.php
@@ -268,9 +268,9 @@ class ImportExportFactoryTest extends \MailPoetTest {
     $importMenu = $import->bootstrap();
     expect(count(json_decode($importMenu['segments'], true)))
       ->equals(2);
-    // email, first_name, last_name, status + 1 custom field
+    // email, first_name, last_name + 1 custom field
     expect(count(json_decode($importMenu['subscriberFields'], true)))
-      ->equals(5);
+      ->equals(4);
     // action, system fields, user fields
     expect(count(json_decode($importMenu['subscriberFieldsSelect2'], true)))
       ->equals(3);