diff --git a/drivers/gpu/drm/amd/amdkfd/kfd_svm.c b/drivers/gpu/drm/amd/amdkfd/kfd_svm.c
index 208812512d8a..4ecc4be1a910 100644
--- a/drivers/gpu/drm/amd/amdkfd/kfd_svm.c
+++ b/drivers/gpu/drm/amd/amdkfd/kfd_svm.c
@@ -380,14 +380,9 @@ static void svm_range_bo_release(struct kref *kref)
 		spin_lock(&svm_bo->list_lock);
 	}
 	spin_unlock(&svm_bo->list_lock);
-	if (!dma_fence_is_signaled(&svm_bo->eviction_fence->base)) {
-		/* We're not in the eviction worker.
-		 * Signal the fence and synchronize with any
-		 * pending eviction work.
-		 */
+	if (!dma_fence_is_signaled(&svm_bo->eviction_fence->base))
+		/* We're not in the eviction worker. Signal the fence. */
 		dma_fence_signal(&svm_bo->eviction_fence->base);
-		cancel_work_sync(&svm_bo->eviction_work);
-	}
 	dma_fence_put(&svm_bo->eviction_fence->base);
 	amdgpu_bo_unref(&svm_bo->bo);
 	kfree(svm_bo);
@@ -3310,13 +3305,14 @@ svm_range_trigger_migration(struct mm_struct *mm, struct svm_range *prange,
 
 int svm_range_schedule_evict_svm_bo(struct amdgpu_amdkfd_fence *fence)
 {
-	if (!fence)
-		return -EINVAL;
-
-	if (dma_fence_is_signaled(&fence->base))
-		return 0;
-
-	if (fence->svm_bo) {
+	/* Dereferencing fence->svm_bo is safe here because the fence hasn't
+	 * signaled yet and we're under the protection of the fence->lock.
+	 * After the fence is signaled in svm_range_bo_release, we cannot get
+	 * here any more.
+	 *
+	 * Reference is dropped in svm_range_evict_svm_bo_worker.
+	 */
+	if (svm_bo_ref_unless_zero(fence->svm_bo)) {
 		WRITE_ONCE(fence->svm_bo->evicting, 1);
 		schedule_work(&fence->svm_bo->eviction_work);
 	}
@@ -3331,8 +3327,6 @@ static void svm_range_evict_svm_bo_worker(struct work_struct *work)
 	int r = 0;
 
 	svm_bo = container_of(work, struct svm_range_bo, eviction_work);
-	if (!svm_bo_ref_unless_zero(svm_bo))
-		return; /* svm_bo was freed while eviction was pending */
 
 	if (mmget_not_zero(svm_bo->eviction_fence->mm)) {
 		mm = svm_bo->eviction_fence->mm;