diff --git a/app/controllers/import/base_controller.rb b/app/controllers/import/base_controller.rb
index 256c41e6145..eeee027ef2d 100644
--- a/app/controllers/import/base_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/import/base_controller.rb
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ class Import::BaseController < ApplicationController
       namespace.add_owner(current_user)
       namespace
     rescue ActiveRecord::RecordNotUnique, ActiveRecord::RecordInvalid
-      Namespace.find_by_path_or_name(name)
+      Namespace.find_by_full_path(name)
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/30289-allow-users-to-import-github-projects-to-subgroups.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/30289-allow-users-to-import-github-projects-to-subgroups.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a33382a85e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/30289-allow-users-to-import-github-projects-to-subgroups.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+---
+title: Allow users to import GitHub projects to subgroups
+merge_request:
+author:
diff --git a/spec/support/controllers/githubish_import_controller_shared_examples.rb b/spec/support/controllers/githubish_import_controller_shared_examples.rb
index d0fd2d52004..51f1015f43c 100644
--- a/spec/support/controllers/githubish_import_controller_shared_examples.rb
+++ b/spec/support/controllers/githubish_import_controller_shared_examples.rb
@@ -228,5 +228,19 @@ shared_examples 'a GitHub-ish import controller: POST create' do
         post :create, { new_name: test_name, format: :js }
       end
     end
+
+    context 'user has chosen a nested namespace and name for the project' do
+      let(:parent_namespace) { create(:namespace, name: 'foo', owner: user) }
+      let(:nested_namespace) { create(:namespace, name: 'bar', parent: parent_namespace, owner: user) }
+      let(:test_name) { 'test_name' }
+
+      it 'takes the selected namespace and name' do
+        expect(Gitlab::GithubImport::ProjectCreator).
+          to receive(:new).with(provider_repo, test_name, nested_namespace, user, access_params, type: provider).
+            and_return(double(execute: true))
+
+        post :create, { target_namespace: nested_namespace.full_path, new_name: test_name, format: :js }
+      end
+    end
   end
 end