diff --git a/include/net/netfilter/nf_tables.h b/include/net/netfilter/nf_tables.h
index 079c69cae2f6..59a4f50ffe8d 100644
--- a/include/net/netfilter/nf_tables.h
+++ b/include/net/netfilter/nf_tables.h
@@ -177,6 +177,7 @@ struct nft_data_desc {
 int nft_data_init(const struct nft_ctx *ctx,
 		  struct nft_data *data, unsigned int size,
 		  struct nft_data_desc *desc, const struct nlattr *nla);
+void nft_data_hold(const struct nft_data *data, enum nft_data_types type);
 void nft_data_release(const struct nft_data *data, enum nft_data_types type);
 int nft_data_dump(struct sk_buff *skb, int attr, const struct nft_data *data,
 		  enum nft_data_types type, unsigned int len);
@@ -731,6 +732,10 @@ struct nft_expr_ops {
 	int				(*init)(const struct nft_ctx *ctx,
 						const struct nft_expr *expr,
 						const struct nlattr * const tb[]);
+	void				(*activate)(const struct nft_ctx *ctx,
+						    const struct nft_expr *expr);
+	void				(*deactivate)(const struct nft_ctx *ctx,
+						      const struct nft_expr *expr);
 	void				(*destroy)(const struct nft_ctx *ctx,
 						   const struct nft_expr *expr);
 	int				(*dump)(struct sk_buff *skb,
diff --git a/net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c b/net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c
index cf30c440f7a7..8a2027d7aaa3 100644
--- a/net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c
+++ b/net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c
@@ -220,6 +220,34 @@ static int nft_delchain(struct nft_ctx *ctx)
 	return err;
 }
 
+static void nft_rule_expr_activate(const struct nft_ctx *ctx,
+				   struct nft_rule *rule)
+{
+	struct nft_expr *expr;
+
+	expr = nft_expr_first(rule);
+	while (expr != nft_expr_last(rule) && expr->ops) {
+		if (expr->ops->activate)
+			expr->ops->activate(ctx, expr);
+
+		expr = nft_expr_next(expr);
+	}
+}
+
+static void nft_rule_expr_deactivate(const struct nft_ctx *ctx,
+				     struct nft_rule *rule)
+{
+	struct nft_expr *expr;
+
+	expr = nft_expr_first(rule);
+	while (expr != nft_expr_last(rule) && expr->ops) {
+		if (expr->ops->deactivate)
+			expr->ops->deactivate(ctx, expr);
+
+		expr = nft_expr_next(expr);
+	}
+}
+
 static int
 nf_tables_delrule_deactivate(struct nft_ctx *ctx, struct nft_rule *rule)
 {
@@ -265,6 +293,7 @@ static int nft_delrule(struct nft_ctx *ctx, struct nft_rule *rule)
 		nft_trans_destroy(trans);
 		return err;
 	}
+	nft_rule_expr_deactivate(ctx, rule);
 
 	return 0;
 }
@@ -2218,6 +2247,13 @@ static void nf_tables_rule_destroy(const struct nft_ctx *ctx,
 	kfree(rule);
 }
 
+static void nf_tables_rule_release(const struct nft_ctx *ctx,
+				   struct nft_rule *rule)
+{
+	nft_rule_expr_deactivate(ctx, rule);
+	nf_tables_rule_destroy(ctx, rule);
+}
+
 #define NFT_RULE_MAXEXPRS	128
 
 static struct nft_expr_info *info;
@@ -2385,7 +2421,7 @@ static int nf_tables_newrule(struct net *net, struct sock *nlsk,
 	return 0;
 
 err2:
-	nf_tables_rule_destroy(&ctx, rule);
+	nf_tables_rule_release(&ctx, rule);
 err1:
 	for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
 		if (info[i].ops != NULL)
@@ -4054,7 +4090,7 @@ static int nf_tables_newsetelem(struct net *net, struct sock *nlsk,
  *	NFT_GOTO verdicts. This function must be called on active data objects
  *	from the second phase of the commit protocol.
  */
-static void nft_data_hold(const struct nft_data *data, enum nft_data_types type)
+void nft_data_hold(const struct nft_data *data, enum nft_data_types type)
 {
 	if (type == NFT_DATA_VERDICT) {
 		switch (data->verdict.code) {
@@ -5221,10 +5257,12 @@ static int nf_tables_abort(struct net *net, struct sk_buff *skb)
 		case NFT_MSG_NEWRULE:
 			trans->ctx.chain->use--;
 			list_del_rcu(&nft_trans_rule(trans)->list);
+			nft_rule_expr_deactivate(&trans->ctx, nft_trans_rule(trans));
 			break;
 		case NFT_MSG_DELRULE:
 			trans->ctx.chain->use++;
 			nft_clear(trans->ctx.net, nft_trans_rule(trans));
+			nft_rule_expr_activate(&trans->ctx, nft_trans_rule(trans));
 			nft_trans_destroy(trans);
 			break;
 		case NFT_MSG_NEWSET:
@@ -5798,7 +5836,7 @@ int __nft_release_basechain(struct nft_ctx *ctx)
 	list_for_each_entry_safe(rule, nr, &ctx->chain->rules, list) {
 		list_del(&rule->list);
 		ctx->chain->use--;
-		nf_tables_rule_destroy(ctx, rule);
+		nf_tables_rule_release(ctx, rule);
 	}
 	list_del(&ctx->chain->list);
 	ctx->table->use--;
@@ -5832,7 +5870,7 @@ static void __nft_release_afinfo(struct net *net, struct nft_af_info *afi)
 			list_for_each_entry_safe(rule, nr, &chain->rules, list) {
 				list_del(&rule->list);
 				chain->use--;
-				nf_tables_rule_destroy(&ctx, rule);
+				nf_tables_rule_release(&ctx, rule);
 			}
 		}
 		list_for_each_entry_safe(set, ns, &table->sets, list) {
diff --git a/net/netfilter/nft_immediate.c b/net/netfilter/nft_immediate.c
index 4717d7796927..aa87ff8beae8 100644
--- a/net/netfilter/nft_immediate.c
+++ b/net/netfilter/nft_immediate.c
@@ -69,8 +69,16 @@ err1:
 	return err;
 }
 
-static void nft_immediate_destroy(const struct nft_ctx *ctx,
-				  const struct nft_expr *expr)
+static void nft_immediate_activate(const struct nft_ctx *ctx,
+				   const struct nft_expr *expr)
+{
+	const struct nft_immediate_expr *priv = nft_expr_priv(expr);
+
+	return nft_data_hold(&priv->data, nft_dreg_to_type(priv->dreg));
+}
+
+static void nft_immediate_deactivate(const struct nft_ctx *ctx,
+				     const struct nft_expr *expr)
 {
 	const struct nft_immediate_expr *priv = nft_expr_priv(expr);
 
@@ -108,7 +116,8 @@ static const struct nft_expr_ops nft_imm_ops = {
 	.size		= NFT_EXPR_SIZE(sizeof(struct nft_immediate_expr)),
 	.eval		= nft_immediate_eval,
 	.init		= nft_immediate_init,
-	.destroy	= nft_immediate_destroy,
+	.activate	= nft_immediate_activate,
+	.deactivate	= nft_immediate_deactivate,
 	.dump		= nft_immediate_dump,
 	.validate	= nft_immediate_validate,
 };