diff --git a/Lib/test/test_bigmem.py b/Lib/test/test_bigmem.py
index 6d0879ad65d53c..7f53379a952dfc 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_bigmem.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_bigmem.py
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
 
 from test import support
 from test.support import bigmemtest, _1G, _2G, _4G, import_helper
-_testcapi = import_helper.import_module('_testcapi')
 
 import unittest
 import operator
@@ -1264,6 +1263,7 @@ class ImmortalityTest(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_stickiness(self, size):
         """Check that immortality is "sticky", so that
            once an object is immortal it remains so."""
+        _testcapi = import_helper.import_module('_testcapi')
         if size < _2G:
             # Not enough memory to cause immortality on overflow
             return