diff --git a/CHANGELOG.rst b/CHANGELOG.rst
index e8ad90ff7..e828bdca9 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.rst
+++ b/CHANGELOG.rst
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 3.0.1.dev
 =========
 
-*
+* Fix regression when ``importorskip`` is used at module level (`#1822`_).
+  Thanks `@jaraco`_ and `@The-Compiler`_ for the report and `@nicoddemus`_ for the PR.
 
 *
 
@@ -11,6 +12,9 @@
 
 
 
+.. _#1822: https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest/issues/1822
+
+
 3.0.0
 =====
 
diff --git a/_pytest/python.py b/_pytest/python.py
index 9e9c78897..50a68ec80 100644
--- a/_pytest/python.py
+++ b/_pytest/python.py
@@ -431,7 +431,9 @@ class Module(pytest.File, PyCollector):
                 "Make sure your test modules/packages have valid Python names."
                 % (self.fspath, exc or exc_class)
             )
-        except _pytest.runner.Skipped:
+        except _pytest.runner.Skipped as e:
+            if e.allow_module_level:
+                raise
             raise self.CollectError(
                 "Using @pytest.skip outside a test (e.g. as a test function "
                 "decorator) is not allowed. Use @pytest.mark.skip or "
diff --git a/_pytest/runner.py b/_pytest/runner.py
index 525a2b00f..c619ac39b 100644
--- a/_pytest/runner.py
+++ b/_pytest/runner.py
@@ -492,10 +492,16 @@ class Skipped(OutcomeException):
     # in order to have Skipped exception printing shorter/nicer
     __module__ = 'builtins'
 
+    def __init__(self, msg=None, pytrace=True, allow_module_level=False):
+        OutcomeException.__init__(self, msg=msg, pytrace=pytrace)
+        self.allow_module_level = allow_module_level
+
+
 class Failed(OutcomeException):
     """ raised from an explicit call to pytest.fail() """
     __module__ = 'builtins'
 
+
 class Exit(KeyboardInterrupt):
     """ raised for immediate program exits (no tracebacks/summaries)"""
     def __init__(self, msg="unknown reason"):
@@ -546,7 +552,7 @@ def importorskip(modname, minversion=None):
         # Do not raise chained exception here(#1485)
         should_skip = True
     if should_skip:
-        skip("could not import %r" %(modname,))
+        raise Skipped("could not import %r" %(modname,), allow_module_level=True)
     mod = sys.modules[modname]
     if minversion is None:
         return mod
@@ -555,10 +561,11 @@ def importorskip(modname, minversion=None):
         try:
             from pkg_resources import parse_version as pv
         except ImportError:
-            skip("we have a required version for %r but can not import "
-                 "no pkg_resources to parse version strings." %(modname,))
+            raise Skipped("we have a required version for %r but can not import "
+                          "no pkg_resources to parse version strings." % (modname,),
+                          allow_module_level=True)
         if verattr is None or pv(verattr) < pv(minversion):
-            skip("module %r has __version__ %r, required is: %r" %(
-                 modname, verattr, minversion))
+            raise Skipped("module %r has __version__ %r, required is: %r" %(
+                          modname, verattr, minversion), allow_module_level=True)
     return mod
 
diff --git a/testing/test_runner.py b/testing/test_runner.py
index a4fe80912..e88a548d7 100644
--- a/testing/test_runner.py
+++ b/testing/test_runner.py
@@ -571,6 +571,19 @@ def test_importorskip_dev_module(monkeypatch):
         pytest.fail("spurious skip")
 
 
+def test_importorskip_module_level(testdir):
+    """importorskip must be able to skip entire modules when used at module level"""
+    testdir.makepyfile('''
+        import pytest
+        foobarbaz = pytest.importorskip("foobarbaz")
+
+        def test_foo():
+            pass
+    ''')
+    result = testdir.runpytest()
+    result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(['*collected 0 items / 1 skipped*'])
+
+
 def test_pytest_cmdline_main(testdir):
     p = testdir.makepyfile("""
         import pytest