diff --git a/sycl/plugins/level_zero/pi_level_zero.cpp b/sycl/plugins/level_zero/pi_level_zero.cpp
index e4402a8bb18df..18bce8362703d 100644
--- a/sycl/plugins/level_zero/pi_level_zero.cpp
+++ b/sycl/plugins/level_zero/pi_level_zero.cpp
@@ -1240,6 +1240,7 @@ pi_result _pi_ze_event_list_t::createAndRetainPiZeEventList(
 
     if (EventListLength > 0) {
       for (pi_uint32 I = 0; I < EventListLength; I++) {
+        PI_ASSERT(EventList[I] != nullptr, PI_INVALID_VALUE);
         auto ZeEvent = EventList[I]->ZeEvent;
 
         if (FilterEventWaitList) {
diff --git a/sycl/source/detail/scheduler/commands.cpp b/sycl/source/detail/scheduler/commands.cpp
index 7e62b0ff18ba1..7324a1f82888b 100644
--- a/sycl/source/detail/scheduler/commands.cpp
+++ b/sycl/source/detail/scheduler/commands.cpp
@@ -160,8 +160,11 @@ static std::string commandToName(Command::CommandType Type) {
 static std::vector<RT::PiEvent>
 getPiEvents(const std::vector<EventImplPtr> &EventImpls) {
   std::vector<RT::PiEvent> RetPiEvents;
-  for (auto &EventImpl : EventImpls)
-    RetPiEvents.push_back(EventImpl->getHandleRef());
+  for (auto &EventImpl : EventImpls) {
+    if (EventImpl->getHandleRef() != nullptr)
+      RetPiEvents.push_back(EventImpl->getHandleRef());
+  }
+
   return RetPiEvents;
 }
 
@@ -2231,12 +2234,12 @@ cl_int ExecCGCommand::enqueueImp() {
   case CG::CGTYPE::BarrierWaitlist: {
     CGBarrier *Barrier = static_cast<CGBarrier *>(MCommandGroup.get());
     std::vector<detail::EventImplPtr> Events = Barrier->MEventsWaitWithBarrier;
-    if (MQueue->get_device().is_host() || Events.empty()) {
+    std::vector<RT::PiEvent> PiEvents = getPiEvents(Events);
+    if (MQueue->get_device().is_host() || PiEvents.empty()) {
       // NOP for host device.
       // If Events is empty, then the barrier has no effect.
       return PI_SUCCESS;
     }
-    std::vector<RT::PiEvent> PiEvents = getPiEvents(Events);
     const detail::plugin &Plugin = MQueue->getPlugin();
     Plugin.call<PiApiKind::piEnqueueEventsWaitWithBarrier>(
         MQueue->getHandleRef(), PiEvents.size(), &PiEvents[0], &Event);
diff --git a/sycl/unittests/scheduler/CMakeLists.txt b/sycl/unittests/scheduler/CMakeLists.txt
index fd62dd40da843..221eaa2e90c22 100644
--- a/sycl/unittests/scheduler/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/sycl/unittests/scheduler/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 add_sycl_unittest(SchedulerTests OBJECT
     BlockedCommands.cpp
+    Commands.cpp
     FailedCommands.cpp
     FinishedCmdCleanup.cpp
     LeafLimit.cpp
diff --git a/sycl/unittests/scheduler/Commands.cpp b/sycl/unittests/scheduler/Commands.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..aaab8029695f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sycl/unittests/scheduler/Commands.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+//==----------- Commands.cpp --- Commands unit tests -----------------------==//
+//
+// Part of the LLVM Project, under the Apache License v2.0 with LLVM Exceptions.
+// See https://llvm.org/LICENSE.txt for license information.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception
+//
+//===----------------------------------------------------------------------===//
+
+#include "SchedulerTest.hpp"
+#include "SchedulerTestUtils.hpp"
+#include <helpers/PiMock.hpp>
+
+#include <iostream>
+
+using namespace cl::sycl;
+
+pi_result redefinePiEnqueueEventsWaitWithBarrier(pi_queue Queue,
+                                                 pi_uint32 NumEventsInWaitList,
+                                                 const pi_event *EventWaitList,
+                                                 pi_event *Event) {
+
+  for (pi_uint32 i = 0; i != NumEventsInWaitList; ++i)
+    EXPECT_NE(EventWaitList[i], nullptr);
+
+  return PI_SUCCESS;
+}
+
+// Hack that allows to return a context in redefinePiEventGetInfo
+RT::PiContext queue_global_context = nullptr;
+
+pi_result redefinePiEventGetInfo(pi_event, pi_event_info, size_t,
+                                 void *param_value, size_t *) {
+  *reinterpret_cast<RT::PiContext *>(param_value) = queue_global_context;
+  return PI_SUCCESS;
+}
+
+pi_result redefinePiEventRetain(pi_event) { return PI_SUCCESS; }
+
+pi_result redefinePiEventRelease(pi_event) { return PI_SUCCESS; }
+
+//
+// This test checks a handling of empty events in WaitWithBarrier command.
+// Original reproducer for l0 plugin led to segfault(nullptr dereference):
+//
+// #include <CL/sycl.hpp>
+// int main() {
+//     sycl::queue q;
+//     sycl::event e;
+//     q.submit_barrier({e});
+// }
+//
+TEST_F(SchedulerTest, WaitEmptyEventWithBarrier) {
+  // NB! This test requires at least one non-host environmet
+  // For example, OpenCL.
+  default_selector Selector{};
+  if (Selector.select_device().is_host()) {
+    std::cerr << "Not run due to host-only environment\n";
+    return;
+  }
+
+  platform Plt{Selector};
+  unittest::PiMock Mock{Plt};
+
+  Mock.redefine<detail::PiApiKind::piEnqueueEventsWaitWithBarrier>(
+      redefinePiEnqueueEventsWaitWithBarrier);
+
+  queue Queue{Plt.get_devices()[0]};
+  cl::sycl::detail::QueueImplPtr QueueImpl = detail::getSyclObjImpl(Queue);
+
+  queue_global_context =
+      detail::getSyclObjImpl(Queue.get_context())->getHandleRef();
+
+  Mock.redefine<detail::PiApiKind::piEventGetInfo>(redefinePiEventGetInfo);
+  Mock.redefine<detail::PiApiKind::piEventRetain>(redefinePiEventRetain);
+  Mock.redefine<detail::PiApiKind::piEventRelease>(redefinePiEventRelease);
+
+  auto EmptyEvent = std::make_shared<detail::event_impl>();
+  auto Event = std::make_shared<detail::event_impl>(
+      reinterpret_cast<RT::PiEvent>(0x01), Queue.get_context());
+
+  using EventList = std::vector<detail::EventImplPtr>;
+  std::vector<EventList> InputEventWaitLists = {
+      {EmptyEvent}, {Event, Event}, {EmptyEvent, Event}};
+
+  MockScheduler MS;
+
+  for (auto &Arg : InputEventWaitLists) {
+    std::unique_ptr<detail::CG> CommandGroup(
+        new detail::CGBarrier(std::move(Arg), {}, {}, {}, {}, {},
+                              detail::CG::CGTYPE::BarrierWaitlist, {}));
+    MS.Scheduler::addCG(std::move(CommandGroup), QueueImpl);
+  }
+}