diff --git a/drivers/media/common/intel-cio2-bridge.c b/drivers/media/common/intel-cio2-bridge.c
index 2f4256f9152c..997581bcc3b9 100644
--- a/drivers/media/common/intel-cio2-bridge.c
+++ b/drivers/media/common/intel-cio2-bridge.c
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@
 #include <linux/acpi.h>
 #include <linux/device.h>
 #include <linux/i2c.h>
+#include <linux/pm_runtime.h>
 #include <linux/property.h>
+#include <linux/workqueue.h>
 
 #include <media/intel-cio2-bridge.h>
 #include <media/v4l2-fwnode.h>
@@ -189,30 +191,111 @@ static void cio2_bridge_create_connection_swnodes(
 	cio2_bridge_init_swnode_group(sensor);
 }
 
-static void cio2_bridge_instantiate_vcm_i2c_client(
-	struct intel_cio2_sensor *sensor)
-{
-	struct i2c_board_info board_info = { };
+/*
+ * The actual instantiation must be done from a workqueue to avoid
+ * a deadlock on taking list_lock from v4l2-async twice.
+ */
+struct intel_cio2_bridge_instantiate_vcm_work_data {
+	struct work_struct work;
+	struct device *sensor;
 	char name[16];
+	struct i2c_board_info board_info;
+};
 
-	if (!sensor->vcm_type)
-		return;
+static void intel_cio2_bridge_instantiate_vcm_work(struct work_struct *_work)
+{
+	struct intel_cio2_bridge_instantiate_vcm_work_data *work =
+		container_of(_work,
+			     struct intel_cio2_bridge_instantiate_vcm_work_data,
+			     work);
+	struct acpi_device *adev = ACPI_COMPANION(work->sensor);
+	struct i2c_client *vcm_client;
+	bool put_fwnode = true;
+	int ret;
 
-	snprintf(name, sizeof(name), "%s-VCM", acpi_dev_name(sensor->adev));
-	board_info.dev_name = name;
-	strscpy(board_info.type, sensor->vcm_type, ARRAY_SIZE(board_info.type));
-	board_info.swnode = &sensor->swnodes[SWNODE_VCM];
-
-	sensor->vcm_i2c_client =
-		i2c_acpi_new_device_by_fwnode(acpi_fwnode_handle(sensor->adev),
-					      1, &board_info);
-	if (IS_ERR(sensor->vcm_i2c_client)) {
-		dev_warn(&sensor->adev->dev, "Error instantiation VCM i2c-client: %ld\n",
-			 PTR_ERR(sensor->vcm_i2c_client));
-		sensor->vcm_i2c_client = NULL;
+	/*
+	 * The client may get probed before the device_link gets added below
+	 * make sure the sensor is powered-up during probe.
+	 */
+	ret = pm_runtime_get_sync(work->sensor);
+	if (ret < 0) {
+		dev_err(work->sensor, "Error %d runtime-resuming sensor, cannot instantiate VCM\n",
+			ret);
+		goto out;
 	}
+
+	/*
+	 * Note the client is created only once and then kept around
+	 * even after a rmmod, just like the software-nodes.
+	 */
+	vcm_client = i2c_acpi_new_device_by_fwnode(acpi_fwnode_handle(adev),
+						   1, &work->board_info);
+	if (IS_ERR(vcm_client)) {
+		dev_err(work->sensor, "Error instantiating VCM client: %ld\n",
+			PTR_ERR(vcm_client));
+		goto out;
+	}
+
+	device_link_add(&vcm_client->dev, work->sensor, DL_FLAG_PM_RUNTIME);
+
+	dev_info(work->sensor, "Instantiated %s VCM\n", work->board_info.type);
+	put_fwnode = false; /* Ownership has passed to the i2c-client */
+
+out:
+	pm_runtime_put(work->sensor);
+	put_device(work->sensor);
+	if (put_fwnode)
+		fwnode_handle_put(work->board_info.fwnode);
+	kfree(work);
 }
 
+int intel_cio2_bridge_instantiate_vcm(struct device *sensor)
+{
+	struct intel_cio2_bridge_instantiate_vcm_work_data *work;
+	struct acpi_device *adev = ACPI_COMPANION(sensor);
+	struct fwnode_handle *vcm_fwnode;
+	struct i2c_client *vcm_client;
+	char *sep;
+
+	if (!adev)
+		return 0;
+
+	vcm_fwnode = fwnode_find_reference(dev_fwnode(sensor), "lens-focus", 0);
+	if (IS_ERR(vcm_fwnode))
+		return 0;
+
+	/* When reloading modules the client will already exist */
+	vcm_client = i2c_find_device_by_fwnode(vcm_fwnode);
+	if (vcm_client) {
+		fwnode_handle_put(vcm_fwnode);
+		put_device(&vcm_client->dev);
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	work = kzalloc(sizeof(*work), GFP_KERNEL);
+	if (!work) {
+		fwnode_handle_put(vcm_fwnode);
+		return -ENOMEM;
+	}
+
+	INIT_WORK(&work->work, intel_cio2_bridge_instantiate_vcm_work);
+	work->sensor = get_device(sensor);
+	snprintf(work->name, sizeof(work->name), "%s-VCM",
+		 acpi_dev_name(adev));
+	work->board_info.dev_name = work->name;
+	work->board_info.fwnode = vcm_fwnode;
+	strscpy(work->board_info.type, fwnode_get_name(vcm_fwnode),
+		I2C_NAME_SIZE);
+	/* Strip "-<link>" postfix */
+	sep = strchrnul(work->board_info.type, '-');
+	*sep = 0;
+
+	queue_work(system_long_wq, &work->work);
+
+	return 0;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(intel_cio2_bridge_instantiate_vcm);
+
 static void cio2_bridge_unregister_sensors(struct intel_cio2_bridge *bridge)
 {
 	struct intel_cio2_sensor *sensor;
@@ -222,7 +305,6 @@ static void cio2_bridge_unregister_sensors(struct intel_cio2_bridge *bridge)
 		sensor = &bridge->sensors[i];
 		software_node_unregister_node_group(sensor->group);
 		acpi_dev_put(sensor->adev);
-		i2c_unregister_device(sensor->vcm_i2c_client);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -273,8 +355,6 @@ static int cio2_bridge_connect_sensor(
 		primary = acpi_fwnode_handle(adev);
 		primary->secondary = fwnode;
 
-		cio2_bridge_instantiate_vcm_i2c_client(sensor);
-
 		dev_info(bridge->dev, "Found supported sensor %s\n",
 			 acpi_dev_name(adev));
 
@@ -311,41 +391,6 @@ static int cio2_bridge_connect_sensors(struct intel_cio2_bridge *bridge)
 	return ret;
 }
 
-/*
- * The VCM cannot be probed until the PMIC is completely setup. We cannot rely
- * on -EPROBE_DEFER for this, since the consumer<->supplier relations between
- * the VCM and regulators/clks are not described in ACPI, instead they are
- * passed as board-data to the PMIC drivers. Since -PROBE_DEFER does not work
- * for the clks/regulators the VCM i2c-clients must not be instantiated until
- * the PMIC is fully setup.
- *
- * The sensor/VCM ACPI device has an ACPI _DEP on the PMIC, check this using the
- * acpi_dev_ready_for_enumeration() helper, like the i2c-core-acpi code does
- * for the sensors.
- */
-static int cio2_bridge_sensors_are_ready(
-	const struct intel_cio2_sensor_config *supported_sensors)
-{
-	struct acpi_device *adev;
-	bool ready = true;
-	unsigned int i;
-
-	for (i = 0; supported_sensors[i].hid; i++) {
-		const struct intel_cio2_sensor_config *cfg =
-			&supported_sensors[i];
-
-		for_each_acpi_dev_match(adev, cfg->hid, NULL, -1) {
-			if (!adev->status.enabled)
-				continue;
-
-			if (!acpi_dev_ready_for_enumeration(adev))
-				ready = false;
-		}
-	}
-
-	return ready;
-}
-
 int intel_cio2_bridge_init(
 	struct device *dev,
 	int (*parse_sensor_fwnode)(struct acpi_device *adev,
@@ -358,9 +403,6 @@ int intel_cio2_bridge_init(
 	unsigned int i;
 	int ret;
 
-	if (!cio2_bridge_sensors_are_ready(supported_sensors))
-		return -EPROBE_DEFER;
-
 	bridge = kzalloc(sizeof(*bridge), GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (!bridge)
 		return -ENOMEM;
diff --git a/drivers/media/pci/intel/ipu3/ipu3-cio2-main.c b/drivers/media/pci/intel/ipu3/ipu3-cio2-main.c
index afc3255b5eb8..a22d213d66e9 100644
--- a/drivers/media/pci/intel/ipu3/ipu3-cio2-main.c
+++ b/drivers/media/pci/intel/ipu3/ipu3-cio2-main.c
@@ -1386,10 +1386,15 @@ static int cio2_notifier_bound(struct v4l2_async_notifier *notifier,
 	struct cio2_device *cio2 = to_cio2_device(notifier);
 	struct sensor_async_subdev *s_asd = to_sensor_asd(asd);
 	struct cio2_queue *q;
+	int ret;
 
 	if (cio2->queue[s_asd->csi2.port].sensor)
 		return -EBUSY;
 
+	ret = intel_cio2_bridge_instantiate_vcm(sd->dev);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
+
 	q = &cio2->queue[s_asd->csi2.port];
 
 	q->csi2 = s_asd->csi2;
diff --git a/drivers/media/pci/intel/ipu3/ipu3-cio2.h b/drivers/media/pci/intel/ipu3/ipu3-cio2.h
index 7ff7915f9823..208d60364f44 100644
--- a/drivers/media/pci/intel/ipu3/ipu3-cio2.h
+++ b/drivers/media/pci/intel/ipu3/ipu3-cio2.h
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 #include <asm/page.h>
 
+#include <media/intel-cio2-bridge.h>
 #include <media/media-device.h>
 #include <media/media-entity.h>
 #include <media/v4l2-async.h>
@@ -463,6 +464,8 @@ static inline struct cio2_queue *vb2q_to_cio2_queue(struct vb2_queue *vq)
 int cio2_bridge_init(struct device *dev);
 #else
 static inline int cio2_bridge_init(struct device *dev) { return 0; }
+static inline int
+intel_cio2_bridge_instantiate_vcm(struct device *dev) { return 0; }
 #endif
 
 #endif
diff --git a/include/media/intel-cio2-bridge.h b/include/media/intel-cio2-bridge.h
index 90fde180faef..faa60a5b1cd8 100644
--- a/include/media/intel-cio2-bridge.h
+++ b/include/media/intel-cio2-bridge.h
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
 #include <media/v4l2-fwnode.h>
 
 struct acpi_device;
-struct i2c_client;
 
 #define INTEL_CIO2_HID					"INT343E"
 #define INTEL_CIO2_MAX_LANES				4
@@ -56,7 +55,6 @@ struct intel_cio2_sensor {
 	/* append link(u8) in "-%u" format as suffix of HID */
 	char name[ACPI_ID_LEN + 4];
 	struct acpi_device *adev;
-	struct i2c_client *vcm_i2c_client;
 
 	/* SWNODE_COUNT + 1 for terminating NULL */
 	const struct software_node *group[SWNODE_COUNT + 1];
@@ -99,6 +97,8 @@ int intel_cio2_bridge_init(
 				   const struct intel_cio2_sensor_config *cfg),
 	const struct intel_cio2_sensor_config *supported_sensors);
 
+int intel_cio2_bridge_instantiate_vcm(struct device *sensor);
+
 enum v4l2_fwnode_orientation
 intel_cio2_bridge_get_orientation(struct acpi_device *adev);
 
