diff --git a/app/protocol/flows/v5/blockrelay/ibd_with_headers_proof.go b/app/protocol/flows/v5/blockrelay/ibd_with_headers_proof.go
index 885f7f062..707eb6284 100644
--- a/app/protocol/flows/v5/blockrelay/ibd_with_headers_proof.go
+++ b/app/protocol/flows/v5/blockrelay/ibd_with_headers_proof.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import (
 
 func (flow *handleIBDFlow) ibdWithHeadersProof(
 	syncerHeaderSelectedTipHash, relayBlockHash *externalapi.DomainHash, highBlockDAAScore uint64) error {
-	err := flow.Domain().InitStagingConsensus()
+	err := flow.Domain().InitStagingConsensusWithoutGenesis()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/app/rpc/rpchandlers/get_blocks_test.go b/app/rpc/rpchandlers/get_blocks_test.go
index 05caf6aa2..73a2bdca9 100644
--- a/app/rpc/rpchandlers/get_blocks_test.go
+++ b/app/rpc/rpchandlers/get_blocks_test.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ func (d fakeDomain) StagingConsensus() externalapi.Consensus {
 	panic("implement me")
 }
 
-func (d fakeDomain) InitStagingConsensus() error {
+func (d fakeDomain) InitStagingConsensusWithoutGenesis() error {
 	panic("implement me")
 }
 
diff --git a/domain/consensus/processes/pruningproofmanager/pruningproofmanager.go b/domain/consensus/processes/pruningproofmanager/pruningproofmanager.go
index b735cedf1..700a9a827 100644
--- a/domain/consensus/processes/pruningproofmanager/pruningproofmanager.go
+++ b/domain/consensus/processes/pruningproofmanager/pruningproofmanager.go
@@ -264,9 +264,15 @@ func (ppm *pruningProofManager) buildPruningPointProof(stagingArea *model.Stagin
 				return nil, err
 			}
 
-			err = queue.PushSlice(children)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, err
+			for _, child := range children {
+				if child.Equal(model.VirtualBlockHash) {
+					continue
+				}
+
+				err = queue.Push(child)
+				if err != nil {
+					return nil, err
+				}
 			}
 		}
 
diff --git a/domain/domain.go b/domain/domain.go
index 066e17197..161bf1c36 100644
--- a/domain/domain.go
+++ b/domain/domain.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ type Domain interface {
 	MiningManager() miningmanager.MiningManager
 	Consensus() externalapi.Consensus
 	StagingConsensus() externalapi.Consensus
-	InitStagingConsensus() error
+	InitStagingConsensusWithoutGenesis() error
 	CommitStagingConsensus() error
 	DeleteStagingConsensus() error
 }
@@ -49,7 +49,13 @@ func (d *domain) MiningManager() miningmanager.MiningManager {
 	return d.miningManager
 }
 
-func (d *domain) InitStagingConsensus() error {
+func (d *domain) InitStagingConsensusWithoutGenesis() error {
+	cfg := *d.consensusConfig
+	cfg.SkipAddingGenesis = true
+	return d.initStagingConsensus(&cfg)
+}
+
+func (d *domain) initStagingConsensus(cfg *consensus.Config) error {
 	d.stagingConsensusLock.Lock()
 	defer d.stagingConsensusLock.Unlock()
 
@@ -79,10 +85,8 @@ func (d *domain) InitStagingConsensus() error {
 	}
 
 	consensusFactory := consensus.NewFactory()
-	cfg := *d.consensusConfig
-	cfg.SkipAddingGenesis = true
 
-	consensusInstance, shouldMigrate, err := consensusFactory.NewConsensus(&cfg, d.db, inactivePrefix)
+	consensusInstance, shouldMigrate, err := consensusFactory.NewConsensus(cfg, d.db, inactivePrefix)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/domain/domain_test.go b/domain/domain_test.go
index 285186d85..0ec107be5 100644
--- a/domain/domain_test.go
+++ b/domain/domain_test.go
@@ -36,12 +36,12 @@ func TestCreateStagingConsensus(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Fatalf("New: %+v", err)
 		}
 
-		err = domainInstance.InitStagingConsensus()
+		err = domainInstance.InitStagingConsensusWithoutGenesis()
 		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("InitStagingConsensus: %+v", err)
+			t.Fatalf("InitStagingConsensusWithoutGenesis: %+v", err)
 		}
 
-		err = domainInstance.InitStagingConsensus()
+		err = domainInstance.InitStagingConsensusWithoutGenesis()
 		if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "cannot create staging consensus when a staging consensus already exists") {
 			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %+v", err)
 		}
@@ -114,9 +114,9 @@ func TestCreateStagingConsensus(t *testing.T) {
 
 		// Now we create a new staging consensus and check that it's deleted once we init a new domain. We also
 		// validate that the main consensus persisted the data from the committed temp consensus.
-		err = domainInstance.InitStagingConsensus()
+		err = domainInstance.InitStagingConsensusWithoutGenesis()
 		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("InitStagingConsensus: %+v", err)
+			t.Fatalf("InitStagingConsensusWithoutGenesis: %+v", err)
 		}
 
 		addGenesisToStagingConsensus()
@@ -139,9 +139,9 @@ func TestCreateStagingConsensus(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Fatalf("a block from committed staging consensus was not persisted to the active consensus")
 		}
 
-		err = domainInstance2.InitStagingConsensus()
+		err = domainInstance2.InitStagingConsensusWithoutGenesis()
 		if err != nil {
-			t.Fatalf("InitStagingConsensus: %+v", err)
+			t.Fatalf("InitStagingConsensusWithoutGenesis: %+v", err)
 		}
 
 		blockInfo, err = domainInstance2.StagingConsensus().GetBlockInfo(blockHash)
diff --git a/domain/migrate.go b/domain/migrate.go
index 45a68d7b2..d3178aca4 100644
--- a/domain/migrate.go
+++ b/domain/migrate.go
@@ -7,14 +7,26 @@ import (
 
 func (d *domain) migrate() error {
 	log.Infof("Starting migration")
-	err := d.InitStagingConsensus()
+	pruningPoint, err := d.Consensus().PruningPoint()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	err = syncConsensuses(d.Consensus(), d.StagingConsensus())
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
+	if d.consensusConfig.Params.GenesisHash.Equal(pruningPoint) {
+		err = d.initStagingConsensus(d.consensusConfig)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	} else {
+		err = d.InitStagingConsensusWithoutGenesis()
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		err = syncConsensuses(d.Consensus(), d.StagingConsensus())
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
 	}
 
 	err = d.CommitStagingConsensus()
@@ -201,7 +213,11 @@ func syncConsensuses(syncer, syncee externalapi.Consensus) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	virtualDAAScoreStart := uint64(0)
+	virtualDAAScoreStart, err := syncee.GetVirtualDAAScore()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	percents = 0
 	for i := 0; ; i++ {
 		if i%10 == 0 {