diff --git a/compiler/sem/semfold.nim b/compiler/sem/semfold.nim
index a2b6e2f0d21..a2bf81793f0 100644
--- a/compiler/sem/semfold.nim
+++ b/compiler/sem/semfold.nim
@@ -961,6 +961,9 @@ proc foldInAstAux(m: PSym, n: PNode, idgen: IdGenerator, g: ModuleGraph): Folded
     # don't process the symbol slots
     result = fromAst(n, n.len - 1)
     result.add foldInAstAux(m, n[^1], idgen, g)
+  of nkElifExpr, nkElseExpr:
+    # must not exist in statement AST
+    unreachable(n.kind)
   else:
     # XXX: type AST reaches here, but ideally this catch-all branch
     #      wouldn't be needed
diff --git a/compiler/sem/semstmts.nim b/compiler/sem/semstmts.nim
index 58a720f0457..cbf453950d4 100644
--- a/compiler/sem/semstmts.nim
+++ b/compiler/sem/semstmts.nim
@@ -173,6 +173,12 @@ proc semIf(c: PContext, n: PNode; flags: TExprFlags): PNode =
   elif isEmptyType(typ) or typ.kind in {tyNil, tyUntyped} or
       (not hasElse and efInTypeof notin flags):
     for it in n:
+      # transition the branch to its statement variant:
+      case it.kind
+      of nkElifExpr: it.transitionSonsKind(nkElifBranch)
+      of nkElseExpr: it.transitionSonsKind(nkElse)
+      else:          discard "already correct"
+
       it[^1] = discardCheck(c, it[^1], flags)
       if it[^1].isError:
         return wrapError(c.config, result)
@@ -181,6 +187,12 @@ proc semIf(c: PContext, n: PNode; flags: TExprFlags): PNode =
     if typ == c.enforceVoidContext: result.typ = c.enforceVoidContext
   else:
     for it in n:
+      # transition the branch to its expression variant:
+      case it.kind
+      of nkElifBranch: it.transitionSonsKind(nkElifExpr)
+      of nkElse:       it.transitionSonsKind(nkElseExpr)
+      else:            discard "already correct"
+
       let j = it.len-1
       if not endsInNoReturn(it[j]):
         it[j] = fitNode(c, typ, it[j], it[j].info)
diff --git a/tests/lang_exprs/tif_stmt_regression.nim b/tests/lang_exprs/tif_stmt_regression.nim
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c14689179b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lang_exprs/tif_stmt_regression.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+discard """
+  description: '''
+    Regression test for ``if`` statements within statement-list expressions.
+    They were not being processed by constant folding
+  '''
+"""
+
+var x = (
+  # unfolded 'true'/'false' symbols lead to an internal compiler error,
+  # which is used for detecting whether folding took place here
+  if true:
+    # branch content doesn't matter, as long as it's a statement
+    var y = false
+  elif true: # also test an elif branch
+    var y = false
+  else:
+    var y = false
+  1
+)
\ No newline at end of file