diff --git a/tests/qtest/migration-test.c b/tests/qtest/migration-test.c
index 9959a0dc12..03f3feac7b 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/migration-test.c
+++ b/tests/qtest/migration-test.c
@@ -756,7 +756,12 @@ static int test_migrate_start(QTestState **from, QTestState **to,
     got_dst_resume = false;
     if (strcmp(arch, "i386") == 0 || strcmp(arch, "x86_64") == 0) {
         memory_size = "150M";
-        machine_alias = "pc";
+
+        if (g_str_equal(arch, "i386")) {
+            machine_alias = "pc";
+        } else {
+            machine_alias = "q35";
+        }
         arch_opts = g_strdup_printf(
             "-drive if=none,id=d0,file=%s,format=raw "
             "-device ide-hd,drive=d0,secs=1,cyls=1,heads=1", bootpath);