diff --git a/app/controllers/import/base_controller.rb b/app/controllers/import/base_controller.rb
index 042b6b1264f..9b45be6db99 100644
--- a/app/controllers/import/base_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/import/base_controller.rb
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ class Import::BaseController < ApplicationController
   end
   # rubocop: enable CodeReuse/ActiveRecord
 
+  # deprecated: being replaced by app/services/import/base_service.rb
   def find_or_create_namespace(names, owner)
     names = params[:target_namespace].presence || names
 
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ class Import::BaseController < ApplicationController
     current_user.namespace
   end
 
+  # deprecated: being replaced by app/services/import/base_service.rb
   def project_save_error(project)
     project.errors.full_messages.join(', ')
   end
diff --git a/app/controllers/import/github_controller.rb b/app/controllers/import/github_controller.rb
index d4c26fa0709..ec38d3b8386 100644
--- a/app/controllers/import/github_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/import/github_controller.rb
@@ -39,28 +39,21 @@ class Import::GithubController < Import::BaseController
   end
 
   def create
-    repo = client.repo(params[:repo_id].to_i)
-    project_name = params[:new_name].presence || repo.name
-    namespace_path = params[:target_namespace].presence || current_user.namespace_path
-    target_namespace = find_or_create_namespace(namespace_path, current_user.namespace_path)
+    result = Import::GithubService.new(client, current_user, import_params).execute(access_params, provider)
 
-    if can?(current_user, :create_projects, target_namespace)
-      project = Gitlab::LegacyGithubImport::ProjectCreator
-                  .new(repo, project_name, target_namespace, current_user, access_params, type: provider)
-                  .execute(extra_project_attrs)
-
-      if project.persisted?
-        render json: ProjectSerializer.new.represent(project)
-      else
-        render json: { errors: project_save_error(project) }, status: :unprocessable_entity
-      end
+    if result[:status] == :success
+      render json: ProjectSerializer.new.represent(result[:project])
     else
-      render json: { errors: 'This namespace has already been taken! Please choose another one.' }, status: :unprocessable_entity
+      render json: { errors: result[:message] }, status: result[:http_status]
     end
   end
 
   private
 
+  def import_params
+    params.permit(:repo_id, :new_name, :target_namespace)
+  end
+
   def client
     @client ||= Gitlab::LegacyGithubImport::Client.new(session[access_token_key], client_options)
   end
@@ -124,10 +117,6 @@ class Import::GithubController < Import::BaseController
     {}
   end
 
-  def extra_project_attrs
-    {}
-  end
-
   def extra_import_params
     {}
   end
diff --git a/app/services/import/base_service.rb b/app/services/import/base_service.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2683c75e41f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/services/import/base_service.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+module Import
+  class BaseService < ::BaseService
+    def initialize(client, user, params)
+      @client = client
+      @current_user = user
+      @params = params
+    end
+
+    private
+
+    def find_or_create_namespace(namespace, owner)
+      namespace = params[:target_namespace].presence || namespace
+
+      return current_user.namespace if namespace == owner
+
+      group = Groups::NestedCreateService.new(current_user, group_path: namespace).execute
+
+      group.errors.any? ? current_user.namespace : group
+    rescue => e
+      Gitlab::AppLogger.error(e)
+
+      current_user.namespace
+    end
+
+    def project_save_error(project)
+      project.errors.full_messages.join(', ')
+    end
+
+    def success(project)
+      super().merge(project: project, status: :success)
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/services/import/github_service.rb b/app/services/import/github_service.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a2533683da9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/services/import/github_service.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+module Import
+  class GithubService < Import::BaseService
+    attr_accessor :client
+    attr_reader :params, :current_user
+
+    def execute(access_params, provider)
+      unless authorized?
+        return error('This namespace has already been taken! Please choose another one.', :unprocessable_entity)
+      end
+
+      project = Gitlab::LegacyGithubImport::ProjectCreator
+                  .new(repo, project_name, target_namespace, current_user, access_params, type: provider)
+                  .execute(extra_project_attrs)
+
+      if project.persisted?
+        success(project)
+      else
+        error(project_save_error(project), :unprocessable_entity)
+      end
+    end
+
+    def repo
+      @repo ||= client.repo(params[:repo_id].to_i)
+    end
+
+    def project_name
+      @project_name ||= params[:new_name].presence || repo.name
+    end
+
+    def namespace_path
+      @namespace_path ||= params[:target_namespace].presence || current_user.namespace_path
+    end
+
+    def target_namespace
+      @target_namespace ||= find_or_create_namespace(namespace_path, current_user.namespace_path)
+    end
+
+    def extra_project_attrs
+      {}
+    end
+
+    def authorized?
+      can?(current_user, :create_projects, target_namespace)
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/doc/api/import.md b/doc/api/import.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9f8e0d232c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/api/import.md
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# Import API
+
+## Import repository from GitHub
+
+Import your projects from GitHub to GitLab via the API.
+
+```
+POST /import/github
+```
+
+| Attribute  | Type    | Required | Description         |
+|------------|---------|----------|---------------------|
+| `personal_access_token`       | string | yes      | GitHub personal access token |
+| `repo_id`   | integer | yes      | GitHub repository ID     |
+| `new_name`   | string | no      | New repo name     |
+| `target_namespace`   | string | yes      | Namespace to import repo into     |
+
+
+```bash
+curl --request POST --header "PRIVATE-TOKEN: 9koXpg98eAheJpvBs5tK" --data "personal_access_token=abc123&repo_id=12345&target_namespace=root" https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/import/github
+```
+
+Example response:
+
+```json
+{
+    "id": 27,
+    "name": "my-repo",
+    "full_path": "/root/my-repo",
+    "full_name": "Administrator / my-repo"
+}
+```
+
diff --git a/lib/api/api.rb b/lib/api/api.rb
index 59b67c67f9d..a768b78cda5 100644
--- a/lib/api/api.rb
+++ b/lib/api/api.rb
@@ -110,6 +110,7 @@ module API
     mount ::API::GroupMilestones
     mount ::API::Groups
     mount ::API::GroupVariables
+    mount ::API::ImportGithub
     mount ::API::Internal
     mount ::API::Issues
     mount ::API::JobArtifacts
diff --git a/lib/api/import_github.rb b/lib/api/import_github.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bb4e536cf57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/api/import_github.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+module API
+  class ImportGithub < Grape::API
+    rescue_from Octokit::Unauthorized, with: :provider_unauthorized
+
+    helpers do
+      def client
+        @client ||= Gitlab::LegacyGithubImport::Client.new(params[:personal_access_token], client_options)
+      end
+
+      def access_params
+        { github_access_token: params[:personal_access_token] }
+      end
+
+      def client_options
+        {}
+      end
+
+      def provider
+        :github
+      end
+    end
+
+    desc 'Import a GitHub project' do
+      detail 'This feature was introduced in GitLab 11.3.4.'
+      success Entities::ProjectEntity
+    end
+    params do
+      requires :personal_access_token, type: String, desc: 'GitHub personal access token'
+      requires :repo_id, type: Integer, desc: 'GitHub repository ID'
+      optional :new_name, type: String, desc: 'New repo name'
+      requires :target_namespace, type: String, desc: 'Namespace to import repo into'
+    end
+    post 'import/github' do
+      result = Import::GithubService.new(client, current_user, params).execute(access_params, provider)
+
+      if result[:status] == :success
+        present ProjectSerializer.new.represent(result[:project])
+      else
+        status result[:http_status]
+        { errors: result[:message] }
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/requests/api/import_github_spec.rb b/spec/requests/api/import_github_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..aceff9b4aa6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/requests/api/import_github_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe API::ImportGithub do
+  include ApiHelpers
+
+  let(:token) { "asdasd12345" }
+  let(:provider) { :github }
+  let(:access_params) { { github_access_token: token } }
+
+  describe "POST /import/github" do
+    let(:user) { create(:user) }
+    let(:project) { create(:project) }
+    let(:provider_username) { user.username }
+    let(:provider_user) { OpenStruct.new(login: provider_username) }
+    let(:provider_repo) do
+      OpenStruct.new(
+        name: 'vim',
+        full_name: "#{provider_username}/vim",
+        owner: OpenStruct.new(login: provider_username)
+      )
+    end
+
+    before do
+      Grape::Endpoint.before_each do |endpoint|
+        allow(endpoint).to receive(:client).and_return(double('client', user: provider_user, repo: provider_repo).as_null_object)
+      end
+    end
+
+    it 'returns 201 response when the project is imported successfully' do
+      allow(Gitlab::LegacyGithubImport::ProjectCreator)
+        .to receive(:new).with(provider_repo, provider_repo.name, user.namespace, user, access_params, type: provider)
+          .and_return(double(execute: project))
+
+      post api("/import/github", user), params: {
+        target_namespace: user.namespace_path,
+        personal_access_token: token,
+        repo_id: 1234
+      }
+      expect(response).to have_gitlab_http_status(201)
+      expect(json_response).to be_a Hash
+      expect(json_response['name']).to eq(project.name)
+    end
+
+    it 'returns 422 response when user can not create projects in the chosen namespace' do
+      other_namespace = create(:group, name: 'other_namespace')
+
+      post api("/import/github", user), params: {
+        target_namespace: other_namespace.name,
+        personal_access_token: token,
+        repo_id: 1234
+      }
+
+      expect(response).to have_gitlab_http_status(422)
+    end
+  end
+end