--- a/testing/mozharness/scripts/merge_day/gecko_migration.py
+++ b/testing/mozharness/scripts/merge_day/gecko_migration.py
@@ -177,17 +177,21 @@ class GeckoMigration(MercurialScript, Ba
     def query_commit_message(self):
         return "Update configs. IGNORE BROKEN CHANGESETS CLOSED TREE NO BUG a=release ba=release"
 
     def query_push_dirs(self):
         dirs = self.query_abs_dirs()
         return dirs.get('abs_from_dir'), dirs.get('abs_to_dir')
 
     def query_push_args(self, cwd):
-        return ['-r', '.']
+        if cwd == self.query_abs_dirs()['abs_to_dir'] and \
+                self.config['migration_behavior'] == 'beta_to_release':
+            return ['--new-branch', '-r', '.']
+        else:
+            return ['-r', '.']
 
     def query_from_revision(self):
         """ Shortcut to get the revision for the from repo
             """
         dirs = self.query_abs_dirs()
         return self.query_hg_revision(dirs['abs_from_dir'])
 
     def query_to_revision(self):