diff --git a/src/converse-controlbox.js b/src/converse-controlbox.js
index df4397dde..61a90a75c 100644
--- a/src/converse-controlbox.js
+++ b/src/converse-controlbox.js
@@ -262,7 +262,10 @@
                      */
                     converse.rosterview = new converse.RosterView({model: converse.rostergroups});
                     this.contactspanel.$el.append(converse.rosterview.$el);
-                    converse.rosterview.render().fetch().update();
+                    converse.rosterview.render().populate().then(function () {
+                        converse.rosterview.update();
+                        converse.sendInitialPresence();
+                    });
                     return this;
                 },
 
diff --git a/src/converse-core.js b/src/converse-core.js
index 78fa41cb3..0d6a532f8 100755
--- a/src/converse-core.js
+++ b/src/converse-core.js
@@ -677,6 +677,13 @@
                 }, null, 'presence', null);
         };
 
+
+        this.sendInitialPresence = function () {
+            if (converse.send_initial_presence) {
+                converse.xmppstatus.sendPresence();
+            }
+        };
+
         this.onStatusInitialized = function () {
             this.registerIntervalHandler();
             this.initRoster();
@@ -865,6 +872,36 @@
                 }
             },
 
+            fetchRosterContacts: function () {
+                /* Fetches the roster contacts, first by trying the
+                 * sessionStorage cache, and if that's empty, then by querying
+                 * the XMPP server.
+                 *
+                 * Returns a promise which resolves once the contacts have been
+                 * fetched.
+                 */
+                var deferred = new $.Deferred();
+                this.fetch({
+                    add: true,
+                    success: function (collection) {
+                        if (collection.length === 0) {
+                            /* We don't have any roster contacts stored in sessionStorage,
+                             * so lets fetch the roster from the XMPP server. We pass in
+                             * 'sendPresence' as callback method, because after initially
+                             * fetching the roster we are ready to receive presence
+                             * updates from our contacts.
+                             */
+                            converse.send_initial_presence = true;
+                            converse.roster.fetchFromServer(deferred.resolve);
+                        } else {
+                            converse.emit('cachedRoster', collection);
+                            deferred.resolve();
+                        }
+                    }
+                });
+                return deferred.promise();
+            },
+
             subscribeToSuggestedItems: function (msg) {
                 $(msg).find('item').each(function (i, items) {
                     if (this.getAttribute('action') === 'add') {
@@ -1204,6 +1241,22 @@
 
         this.RosterGroups = Backbone.Collection.extend({
             model: converse.RosterGroup,
+
+            fetchRosterGroups: function () {
+                /* Fetches all the roster groups from sessionStorage.
+                 *
+                 * Returns a promise which resolves once the groups have been
+                 * returned.
+                 */
+                var deferred = new $.Deferred();
+                this.fetch({
+                    silent: true, // We need to first have all groups before
+                                  // we can start positioning them, so we set
+                                  // 'silent' to true.
+                    success: deferred.resolve
+                });
+                return deferred.promise();
+            }
         });
 
 
diff --git a/src/converse-rosterview.js b/src/converse-rosterview.js
index 442629725..da1ae49b8 100644
--- a/src/converse-rosterview.js
+++ b/src/converse-rosterview.js
@@ -296,43 +296,16 @@
                     return this;
                 },
 
-                fetch: function () {
-                    this.model.fetch({
-                        silent: true, // We use the success handler to handle groups that were added,
-                                    // we need to first have all groups before positionFetchedGroups
-                                    // will work properly.
-                        success: function (collection, resp, options) {
-                            if (collection.length !== 0) {
-                                this.positionFetchedGroups(collection, resp, options);
-                            }
-                            converse.roster.fetch({
-                                add: true,
-                                success: function (collection) {
-                                    if (collection.length === 0) {
-                                        /* We don't have any roster contacts stored in sessionStorage,
-                                         * so lets fetch the roster from the XMPP server. We pass in
-                                         * 'sendPresence' as callback method, because after initially
-                                         * fetching the roster we are ready to receive presence
-                                         * updates from our contacts.
-                                         */
-                                        converse.roster.fetchFromServer(
-                                                converse.xmppstatus.sendPresence.bind(converse.xmppstatus));
-                                    } else {
-                                        converse.emit('cachedRoster', collection);
-                                        if (converse.send_initial_presence) {
-                                            /* We're not going to fetch the roster again because we have
-                                            * it already cached in sessionStorage, but we still need to
-                                            * send out a presence stanza because this is a new session.
-                                            * See: https://github.com/jcbrand/converse.js/issues/536
-                                            */
-                                            converse.xmppstatus.sendPresence();
-                                        }
-                                    }
-                                }
-                            });
-                        }.bind(this)
-                    });
-                    return this;
+                populate: function () {
+                    /* Fetch the roster groups, position them and then fetch
+                     * the roster contacts.
+                     */
+                    var deferred = new $.Deferred();
+                    this.model.fetchRosterGroups().then(function () {
+                        this.positionFetchedGroups.apply(this, arguments);
+                        converse.roster.fetchRosterContacts().then(deferred.resolve);
+                    }.bind(this));
+                    return deferred.promise();
                 },
 
                 filter: function (query, type) {
@@ -448,6 +421,9 @@
                      * positioned aren't already in inserted into the
                      * roster DOM element.
                      */
+                    if (model.length === 0) {
+                        return;
+                    }
                     model.sort();
                     model.each(function (group, idx) {
                         var view = this.get(group.get('name'));