diff --git a/ee/app/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service.rb b/ee/app/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service.rb
index 1d805af70c63bcf0cbb51a6ebc2a4eb7619ac2b8..75da62e6ca6fa1751b1df01cf0562c1bb025c6d5 100644
--- a/ee/app/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service.rb
+++ b/ee/app/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service.rb
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ def sync_code_owner_approval_rules
         return unless project_or_group.feature_available?(:code_owners)
 
         merge_requests_for_protected_branch.each do |merge_request|
-          ::MergeRequests::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRules.new(merge_request).execute
+          ::MergeRequests::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRulesWorker.perform_async(merge_request.id)
         end
       end
 
diff --git a/ee/spec/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service_spec.rb b/ee/spec/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service_spec.rb
index 5dc4f2aac7ae7a2ede24cfb6d98bf09b00c2ee6e..a446d030adb5cb0d1747be4806566071093987b3 100644
--- a/ee/spec/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service_spec.rb
+++ b/ee/spec/services/ee/protected_branches/create_service_spec.rb
@@ -121,7 +121,10 @@
       end
 
       it "calls MergeRequest::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRules to update open MRs", :aggregate_failures do
-        expect(::MergeRequests::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRules).to receive(:new).with(merge_request).and_call_original
+        expect(::MergeRequests::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRulesWorker)
+          .to receive(:perform_async)
+          .with(merge_request.id)
+          .and_call_original
         expect { service.execute }.to change(ProtectedBranch, :count).by(1)
       end
 
@@ -133,7 +136,10 @@
             end
 
             it "calls MergeRequest::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRules to update open MRs", :aggregate_failures do
-              expect(::MergeRequests::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRules).to receive(:new).with(merge_request).and_call_original
+              expect(::MergeRequests::SyncCodeOwnerApprovalRulesWorker)
+                .to receive(:perform_async)
+                .with(merge_request.id)
+                .and_call_original
               expect { service.execute }.to change(ProtectedBranch, :count).by(1)
             end
           end