diff --git a/core/core-packages.el b/core/core-packages.el
index d75bd3d8c..8b7d9afa7 100644
--- a/core/core-packages.el
+++ b/core/core-packages.el
@@ -146,7 +146,28 @@ to speed up startup."
     (require 'use-package)
     ;; Strip package management from use-package; DOOM handles this its own way
     (mapc (lambda (keyword) (setq use-package-keywords (delq keyword use-package-keywords)))
-          '(:ensure :pin))
+          '(:ensure :pin :defer-install))
+
+    ;; In a recent update, the :after property stopped working for `use-package'.
+    ;; This fixes the problem, but must be removed as soon as the fix is released.
+    ;; See https://github.com/jwiegley/use-package/pull/439
+    (defun doom*use-package-handler/:after (name keyword arg rest state)
+      (let ((body (use-package-process-keywords name rest
+                    (plist-put state :deferred t)))
+            (name-string (use-package-as-string name)))
+        (if (and (consp arg)
+                 (not (memq (car arg) '(:or :any :and :all))))
+            (setq arg (cons :all arg)))
+        (use-package-concat
+         (when arg
+           (list (funcall (use-package-require-after-load arg)
+                          (macroexp-progn
+                           `(,@(when (eq (plist-get state :defer-install) :ensure)
+                                 `((use-package-install-deferred-package
+                                    'name :after)))
+                             (require (quote ,name) nil t))))))
+         body)))
+    (advice-add 'use-package-handler/:after :override 'doom*use-package-handler/:after)
 
     (setq doom-init-p t)))