diff --git a/src/V3LinkDot.cpp b/src/V3LinkDot.cpp
index 177227934..e6e248ded 100644
--- a/src/V3LinkDot.cpp
+++ b/src/V3LinkDot.cpp
@@ -918,15 +918,22 @@ class LinkDotFindVisitor final : public VNVisitor {
             nodep->isExternDef(true);  // So we check there's a matching extern
             nodep->classOrPackagep()->unlinkFrBack()->deleteTree();
             // Any "Type::" reference in the function's IO are really "MovedToClass::" references
-            if (nodep->fvarp())
-                nodep->fvarp()->foreach([this, classp](AstClassOrPackageRef* refp) {  //
-                    if (refp->name() == classp->name() && !refp->paramsp()) {
-                        UINFO(9, "Cleaning up external function type for class " << refp);
-                        pushDeletep(refp->unlinkFrBack());
-                    }
-                });
+            if (nodep->fvarp()) moveExternFuncDeclRefs(nodep->fvarp(), classp);
+            for (AstNode* stmtp = nodep->stmtsp(); stmtp; stmtp = stmtp->nextp()) {
+                if (AstVar* const portp = VN_CAST(stmtp, Var)) {
+                    if (portp->isIO()) moveExternFuncDeclRefs(portp, classp);
+                }
+            }
         }
     }
+    void moveExternFuncDeclRefs(AstNode* nodep, AstClass* classp) {
+        nodep->foreach([this, classp](AstClassOrPackageRef* refp) {  //
+            if (refp->name() == classp->name() && !refp->paramsp()) {
+                UINFO(9, "Cleaning up external function type for class " << refp);
+                pushDeletep(refp->unlinkFrBack());
+            }
+        });
+    }
 
     // VISITORS
     void visit(AstNetlist* nodep) override {  // FindVisitor::
diff --git a/test_regress/t/t_class_extern_typeref.v b/test_regress/t/t_class_extern_typeref.v
index 3501ecb91..3eb715e5c 100644
--- a/test_regress/t/t_class_extern_typeref.v
+++ b/test_regress/t/t_class_extern_typeref.v
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 class uvm_process_guard#(type T=int);
   T m_context;
   extern function T get_context();
+  extern function new(T ctxt);
 endclass
 
 // When this moves into class, note it's not uvm_process_guard#()::T
@@ -15,6 +16,10 @@ function uvm_process_guard::T uvm_process_guard::get_context();
   return this.m_context;
 endfunction
 
+function uvm_process_guard::new(uvm_process_guard::T ctxt);
+  this.m_context = ctxt;
+endfunction : new
+
 class uvm_sequence_base;
   typedef uvm_process_guard#(uvm_sequence_base) m_guard_t;
 endclass