diff --git a/images/virtualization-artifact/pkg/controller/workload-updater/internal/service/one_shot_migration.go b/images/virtualization-artifact/pkg/controller/workload-updater/internal/service/one_shot_migration.go
index aaeaeddf3a..2bc52a6f33 100644
--- a/images/virtualization-artifact/pkg/controller/workload-updater/internal/service/one_shot_migration.go
+++ b/images/virtualization-artifact/pkg/controller/workload-updater/internal/service/one_shot_migration.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"log/slog"
 
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	virtv1 "kubevirt.io/api/core/v1"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 
@@ -61,6 +62,15 @@ func (s *OneShotMigrationService) OnceMigrate(ctx context.Context, vm *v1alpha2.
 		return false, nil
 	}
 
+	cleanupInProgress, err := s.hasInactiveLauncherPodsInProgress(ctx, kvvmi)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	if cleanupInProgress {
+		log.Debug("The virtual machine has inactive launcher pods that are not terminated yet. Skipping migration...")
+		return false, nil
+	}
+
 	workloadUpdateVMOPs, unmanagedVMOPs, err := s.listVMOPMigrate(ctx, vm.GetName(), vm.GetNamespace())
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, err
@@ -113,6 +123,31 @@ func (s *OneShotMigrationService) setAnnoExpectedValueToKVVMI(ctx context.Contex
 	return object.EnsureAnnotation(ctx, s.client, kvvmi, annotationKey, annotationExpectedValue)
 }
 
+func (s *OneShotMigrationService) hasInactiveLauncherPodsInProgress(ctx context.Context, kvvmi *virtv1.VirtualMachineInstance) (bool, error) {
+	podList := &corev1.PodList{}
+	err := s.client.List(ctx, podList,
+		client.InNamespace(kvvmi.GetNamespace()),
+		client.MatchingLabels{
+			virtv1.AppLabel:       "virt-launcher",
+			virtv1.CreatedByLabel: string(kvvmi.GetUID()),
+		},
+	)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("failed to list virtual machine pods: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	for _, pod := range podList.Items {
+		if _, active := kvvmi.Status.ActivePods[pod.GetUID()]; active {
+			continue
+		}
+		if pod.Status.Phase != corev1.PodSucceeded && pod.Status.Phase != corev1.PodFailed {
+			return true, nil
+		}
+	}
+
+	return false, nil
+}
+
 func newVMOP(prefix, namespace, vmName string) *v1alpha2.VirtualMachineOperation {
 	return vmopbuilder.New(
 		vmopbuilder.WithGenerateName(prefix),
diff --git a/images/virtualization-artifact/pkg/controller/workload-updater/internal/service/one_shot_migration_test.go b/images/virtualization-artifact/pkg/controller/workload-updater/internal/service/one_shot_migration_test.go
index cd461d7d5a..5a548c6091 100644
--- a/images/virtualization-artifact/pkg/controller/workload-updater/internal/service/one_shot_migration_test.go
+++ b/images/virtualization-artifact/pkg/controller/workload-updater/internal/service/one_shot_migration_test.go
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@ import (
 
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 	virtv1 "kubevirt.io/api/core/v1"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 
@@ -45,6 +47,7 @@ var _ = Describe("TestOnceShotMigrationService", func() {
 			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
 				Name:      vmName,
 				Namespace: vmNamespace,
+				UID:       types.UID("vmi-uid"),
 				Annotations: map[string]string{
 					"key": "old-value",
 				},
@@ -53,9 +56,51 @@ var _ = Describe("TestOnceShotMigrationService", func() {
 				Kind:       "VirtualMachineInstance",
 				APIVersion: virtv1.GroupVersion.String(),
 			},
+			Status: virtv1.VirtualMachineInstanceStatus{
+				ActivePods: map[types.UID]string{
+					types.UID("active-pod-uid"): "node-a",
+				},
+			},
+		}
+	}
+
+	newInactiveLauncherPod := func(phase corev1.PodPhase) *corev1.Pod {
+		return &corev1.Pod{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Name:      "inactive-launcher-pod",
+				Namespace: vmNamespace,
+				UID:       types.UID("inactive-pod-uid"),
+				Labels: map[string]string{
+					virtv1.AppLabel:       "virt-launcher",
+					virtv1.CreatedByLabel: "vmi-uid",
+				},
+			},
+			Status: corev1.PodStatus{Phase: phase},
 		}
 	}
 
+	It("should skip migration while an inactive launcher pod is not terminated", func() {
+		prefix := "vmop-prefix-"
+
+		fakeClient, err := testutil.NewFakeClientWithObjects(newVM(), newKVVMI(), newInactiveLauncherPod(corev1.PodRunning))
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+		oneShotMigration := NewOneShotMigrationService(fakeClient, prefix)
+
+		vm := &v1alpha2.VirtualMachine{}
+		err = fakeClient.Get(context.Background(), client.ObjectKey{Namespace: vmNamespace, Name: vmName}, vm)
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+		migrate, err := oneShotMigration.OnceMigrate(testutil.ContextBackgroundWithNoOpLogger(), vm, "key", "value")
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		Expect(migrate).To(BeFalse())
+
+		vmops := v1alpha2.VirtualMachineOperationList{}
+		err = fakeClient.List(context.Background(), &vmops)
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		Expect(vmops.Items).To(BeEmpty())
+	})
+
 	It("Retry 10 times expect one migration", func() {
 		prefix := "vmop-prefix-"