diff --git a/compiler/ir/ir.psi2ir/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/psi2ir/descriptors/IrDescriptorBasedFunctionFactory.kt b/compiler/ir/ir.psi2ir/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/psi2ir/descriptors/IrDescriptorBasedFunctionFactory.kt
index 655c70cc97c..7fe2640f732 100644
--- a/compiler/ir/ir.psi2ir/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/psi2ir/descriptors/IrDescriptorBasedFunctionFactory.kt
+++ b/compiler/ir/ir.psi2ir/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/psi2ir/descriptors/IrDescriptorBasedFunctionFactory.kt
@@ -20,7 +20,10 @@ import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.symbols.IrTypeParameterSymbol
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.symbols.impl.IrValueParameterSymbolImpl
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.types.IrType
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.types.SimpleTypeNullability
-import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.types.impl.*
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.types.impl.IrSimpleTypeBuilder
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.types.impl.IrStarProjectionImpl
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.types.impl.buildSimpleType
+import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.types.impl.makeTypeProjection
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.ir.util.*
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.name.FqName
 import org.jetbrains.kotlin.name.Name
@@ -516,7 +519,7 @@ class IrDescriptorBasedFunctionFactory(
             arguments = listOf(
                 with(IrSimpleTypeBuilder()) {
                     classifier = r.symbol
-                    buildTypeProjection()
+                    buildSimpleType()
                 },
             )
             buildSimpleType()
diff --git a/compiler/ir/ir.tree/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/ir/types/impl/IrSimpleTypeImpl.kt b/compiler/ir/ir.tree/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/ir/types/impl/IrSimpleTypeImpl.kt
index af6a68663ee..954fe5b5683 100644
--- a/compiler/ir/ir.tree/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/ir/types/impl/IrSimpleTypeImpl.kt
+++ b/compiler/ir/ir.tree/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/ir/types/impl/IrSimpleTypeImpl.kt
@@ -89,7 +89,6 @@ class IrSimpleTypeBuilder {
     var arguments: List<IrTypeArgument> = emptyList()
     var annotations: List<IrConstructorCall> = emptyList()
     var abbreviation: IrTypeAbbreviation? = null
-    var variance = Variance.INVARIANT
 }
 
 fun IrSimpleType.toBuilder() =
@@ -112,7 +111,7 @@ fun IrSimpleTypeBuilder.buildSimpleType() =
         abbreviation
     )
 
-fun IrSimpleTypeBuilder.buildTypeProjection() =
+fun IrSimpleTypeBuilder.buildTypeProjection(variance: Variance): IrTypeProjection =
     if (variance == Variance.INVARIANT)
         buildSimpleType()
     else
@@ -136,13 +135,12 @@ fun makeTypeProjection(type: IrType, variance: Variance): IrTypeProjection =
     when {
         type is IrCapturedType -> IrTypeProjectionImpl(type, variance)
         type is IrTypeProjection && type.variance == variance -> type
-        type is IrSimpleType -> type.toBuilder().apply { this.variance = variance }.buildTypeProjection()
+        type is IrSimpleType -> type.toBuilder().buildTypeProjection(variance)
         type is IrDynamicType -> IrDynamicTypeImpl(null, type.annotations, variance)
         type is IrErrorType -> IrErrorTypeImpl(null, type.annotations, variance)
         else -> IrTypeProjectionImpl(type, variance)
     }
 
-
 fun makeTypeIntersection(types: List<IrType>): IrType =
     with(types.map { makeTypeProjection(it, Variance.INVARIANT).type }.distinct()) {
         if (size == 1) return single()
diff --git a/compiler/ir/ir.tree/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/ir/util/TypeTranslator.kt b/compiler/ir/ir.tree/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/ir/util/TypeTranslator.kt
index 487402fce85..3a4c41784ad 100644
--- a/compiler/ir/ir.tree/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/ir/util/TypeTranslator.kt
+++ b/compiler/ir/ir.tree/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/ir/util/TypeTranslator.kt
@@ -126,7 +126,6 @@ abstract class TypeTranslator(
         return IrSimpleTypeBuilder().apply {
             this.kotlinType = approximatedType
             this.nullability = SimpleTypeNullability.fromHasQuestionMark(upperType.isMarkedNullable)
-            this.variance = variance
             this.abbreviation = upperType.getAbbreviation()?.toIrTypeAbbreviation()
 
             when (upperTypeDescriptor) {
@@ -169,7 +168,7 @@ abstract class TypeTranslator(
                 else ->
                     throw AssertionError("Unexpected type descriptor $upperTypeDescriptor :: ${upperTypeDescriptor::class}")
             }
-        }.buildTypeProjection()
+        }.buildTypeProjection(variance)
     }
 
     private fun approximateUpperBounds(upperBounds: Collection<KotlinType>, variance: Variance): IrTypeProjection {
diff --git a/compiler/ir/serialization.common/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/common/serialization/IrBodyDeserializer.kt b/compiler/ir/serialization.common/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/common/serialization/IrBodyDeserializer.kt
index 23bc655b59c..e72283599ed 100644
--- a/compiler/ir/serialization.common/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/common/serialization/IrBodyDeserializer.kt
+++ b/compiler/ir/serialization.common/src/org/jetbrains/kotlin/backend/common/serialization/IrBodyDeserializer.kt
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ class IrBodyDeserializer(
             val rawType = with(IrSimpleTypeBuilder()) {
                 arguments = typeParameters.memoryOptimizedMap {
                     classifier = it.symbol
-                    buildTypeProjection()
+                    buildSimpleType()
                 }
                 classifier = klass.symbol
                 buildSimpleType()