diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 075edae88..4a6c66cfd 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -524,15 +524,17 @@ strategies:
 
 This strategy evicts pods that are older than `maxPodLifeTimeSeconds`.
 
-You can also specify `podStatusPhases` to `only` evict pods with specific `StatusPhases`, currently this parameter is limited
-to `Running` and `Pending`.
+You can also specify `states` parameter to **only** evict pods matching the following conditions:
+  - [Pod Phase](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/workloads/pods/pod-lifecycle/#pod-phase) status of: `Running`, `Pending`
+  - [Container State Waiting](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/workloads/pods/pod-lifecycle/#container-state-waiting) condition of: `PodInitializing`, `ContainerCreating`
 
 **Parameters:**
 
 |Name|Type|
 |---|---|
 |`maxPodLifeTimeSeconds`|int|
-|`podStatusPhases`|list(string)|
+|`podStatusPhases` (**Deprecated**. Use `states` instead)|list(string)|
+|`states`|list(string)|
 |`thresholdPriority`|int (see [priority filtering](#priority-filtering))|
 |`thresholdPriorityClassName`|string (see [priority filtering](#priority-filtering))|
 |`namespaces`|(see [namespace filtering](#namespace-filtering))|
@@ -549,8 +551,9 @@ strategies:
      params:
        podLifeTime:
          maxPodLifeTimeSeconds: 86400
-         podStatusPhases:
+         states:
          - "Pending"
+         - "PodInitializing"
 ```
 
 ### RemoveFailedPods
diff --git a/examples/pod-life-time.yml b/examples/pod-life-time.yml
index 8114bc53d..6b89ba0dd 100644
--- a/examples/pod-life-time.yml
+++ b/examples/pod-life-time.yml
@@ -6,3 +6,6 @@ strategies:
     params:
       podLifeTime:
         maxPodLifeTimeSeconds: 604800 # 7 days
+        states:
+        - "Pending"
+        - "PodInitializing"
diff --git a/pkg/api/types.go b/pkg/api/types.go
index ef4c65123..e4e707376 100644
--- a/pkg/api/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/types.go
@@ -113,7 +113,10 @@ type RemoveDuplicates struct {
 
 type PodLifeTime struct {
 	MaxPodLifeTimeSeconds *uint
-	PodStatusPhases       []string
+	States                []string
+
+	// Deprecated: Use States instead.
+	PodStatusPhases []string
 }
 
 type FailedPods struct {
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/types.go b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/types.go
index 472e2c86a..1a9d45907 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/types.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/types.go
@@ -111,7 +111,10 @@ type RemoveDuplicates struct {
 
 type PodLifeTime struct {
 	MaxPodLifeTimeSeconds *uint    `json:"maxPodLifeTimeSeconds,omitempty"`
-	PodStatusPhases       []string `json:"podStatusPhases,omitempty"`
+	States                []string `json:"states,omitempty"`
+
+	// Deprecated: Use States instead.
+	PodStatusPhases []string `json:"podStatusPhases,omitempty"`
 }
 
 type FailedPods struct {
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.conversion.go b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.conversion.go
index 038a4ec40..7bc58de58 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.conversion.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.conversion.go
@@ -288,6 +288,7 @@ func Convert_api_NodeResourceUtilizationThresholds_To_v1alpha1_NodeResourceUtili
 
 func autoConvert_v1alpha1_PodLifeTime_To_api_PodLifeTime(in *PodLifeTime, out *api.PodLifeTime, s conversion.Scope) error {
 	out.MaxPodLifeTimeSeconds = (*uint)(unsafe.Pointer(in.MaxPodLifeTimeSeconds))
+	out.States = *(*[]string)(unsafe.Pointer(&in.States))
 	out.PodStatusPhases = *(*[]string)(unsafe.Pointer(&in.PodStatusPhases))
 	return nil
 }
@@ -299,6 +300,7 @@ func Convert_v1alpha1_PodLifeTime_To_api_PodLifeTime(in *PodLifeTime, out *api.P
 
 func autoConvert_api_PodLifeTime_To_v1alpha1_PodLifeTime(in *api.PodLifeTime, out *PodLifeTime, s conversion.Scope) error {
 	out.MaxPodLifeTimeSeconds = (*uint)(unsafe.Pointer(in.MaxPodLifeTimeSeconds))
+	out.States = *(*[]string)(unsafe.Pointer(&in.States))
 	out.PodStatusPhases = *(*[]string)(unsafe.Pointer(&in.PodStatusPhases))
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
index a4ffea3aa..ce880da15 100644
--- a/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
+++ b/pkg/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
@@ -209,6 +209,11 @@ func (in *PodLifeTime) DeepCopyInto(out *PodLifeTime) {
 		*out = new(uint)
 		**out = **in
 	}
+	if in.States != nil {
+		in, out := &in.States, &out.States
+		*out = make([]string, len(*in))
+		copy(*out, *in)
+	}
 	if in.PodStatusPhases != nil {
 		in, out := &in.PodStatusPhases, &out.PodStatusPhases
 		*out = make([]string, len(*in))
diff --git a/pkg/api/zz_generated.deepcopy.go b/pkg/api/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
index 07238f415..5d1407380 100644
--- a/pkg/api/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
+++ b/pkg/api/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
@@ -209,6 +209,11 @@ func (in *PodLifeTime) DeepCopyInto(out *PodLifeTime) {
 		*out = new(uint)
 		**out = **in
 	}
+	if in.States != nil {
+		in, out := &in.States, &out.States
+		*out = make([]string, len(*in))
+		copy(*out, *in)
+	}
 	if in.PodStatusPhases != nil {
 		in, out := &in.PodStatusPhases, &out.PodStatusPhases
 		*out = make([]string, len(*in))
diff --git a/pkg/descheduler/strategies/pod_lifetime.go b/pkg/descheduler/strategies/pod_lifetime.go
index 5fa33d21a..20010b42b 100644
--- a/pkg/descheduler/strategies/pod_lifetime.go
+++ b/pkg/descheduler/strategies/pod_lifetime.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 var (
-	podLifetimeAllowedPhases = sets.NewString(
+	podLifeTimeAllowedStates = sets.NewString(
 		string(v1.PodRunning),
 		string(v1.PodPending),
 
@@ -42,31 +42,37 @@ var (
 	)
 )
 
-func validatePodLifeTimeParams(params *api.StrategyParameters) error {
+func validatePodLifeTimeParams(params *api.StrategyParameters) (sets.String, error) {
 	if params == nil || params.PodLifeTime == nil || params.PodLifeTime.MaxPodLifeTimeSeconds == nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("MaxPodLifeTimeSeconds not set")
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("MaxPodLifeTimeSeconds not set")
 	}
 
+	var states []string
 	if params.PodLifeTime.PodStatusPhases != nil {
-		if !podLifetimeAllowedPhases.HasAll(params.PodLifeTime.PodStatusPhases...) {
-			return fmt.Errorf("PodStatusPhases must be one of %v", podLifetimeAllowedPhases.List())
-		}
+		states = append(states, params.PodLifeTime.PodStatusPhases...)
+	}
+	if params.PodLifeTime.States != nil {
+		states = append(states, params.PodLifeTime.States...)
+	}
+	if !podLifeTimeAllowedStates.HasAll(states...) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("states must be one of %v", podLifeTimeAllowedStates.List())
 	}
 
 	// At most one of include/exclude can be set
 	if params.Namespaces != nil && len(params.Namespaces.Include) > 0 && len(params.Namespaces.Exclude) > 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("only one of Include/Exclude namespaces can be set")
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("only one of Include/Exclude namespaces can be set")
 	}
 	if params.ThresholdPriority != nil && params.ThresholdPriorityClassName != "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("only one of thresholdPriority and thresholdPriorityClassName can be set")
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("only one of thresholdPriority and thresholdPriorityClassName can be set")
 	}
 
-	return nil
+	return sets.NewString(states...), nil
 }
 
 // PodLifeTime evicts pods on nodes that were created more than strategy.Params.MaxPodLifeTimeSeconds seconds ago.
 func PodLifeTime(ctx context.Context, client clientset.Interface, strategy api.DeschedulerStrategy, nodes []*v1.Node, podEvictor *evictions.PodEvictor, evictorFilter *evictions.EvictorFilter, getPodsAssignedToNode podutil.GetPodsAssignedToNodeFunc) {
-	if err := validatePodLifeTimeParams(strategy.Params); err != nil {
+	states, err := validatePodLifeTimeParams(strategy.Params)
+	if err != nil {
 		klog.ErrorS(err, "Invalid PodLifeTime parameters")
 		return
 	}
@@ -78,22 +84,20 @@ func PodLifeTime(ctx context.Context, client clientset.Interface, strategy api.D
 	}
 
 	filter := evictorFilter.Filter
-	if strategy.Params.PodLifeTime.PodStatusPhases != nil {
-		filter = func(pod *v1.Pod) bool {
-			for _, phase := range strategy.Params.PodLifeTime.PodStatusPhases {
-				if string(pod.Status.Phase) == phase {
-					return evictorFilter.Filter(pod)
-				}
+	if states.Len() > 0 {
+		filter = podutil.WrapFilterFuncs(func(pod *v1.Pod) bool {
+			if states.Has(string(pod.Status.Phase)) {
+				return true
+			}
 
-				for _, containerStatus := range pod.Status.ContainerStatuses {
-					if containerStatus.State.Waiting != nil && containerStatus.State.Waiting.Reason == phase {
-						return evictable.IsEvictable(pod)
-					}
+			for _, containerStatus := range pod.Status.ContainerStatuses {
+				if containerStatus.State.Waiting != nil && states.Has(containerStatus.State.Waiting.Reason) {
+					return true
 				}
 			}
 
 			return false
-		}
+		}, filter)
 	}
 
 	podFilter, err := podutil.NewOptions().
diff --git a/pkg/descheduler/strategies/pod_lifetime_test.go b/pkg/descheduler/strategies/pod_lifetime_test.go
index e8a01ea79..212e5a698 100644
--- a/pkg/descheduler/strategies/pod_lifetime_test.go
+++ b/pkg/descheduler/strategies/pod_lifetime_test.go
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ func TestPodLifeTime(t *testing.T) {
 				Params: &api.StrategyParameters{
 					PodLifeTime: &api.PodLifeTime{
 						MaxPodLifeTimeSeconds: &maxLifeTime,
-						PodStatusPhases:       []string{"ContainerCreating"},
+						States:                []string{"ContainerCreating"},
 					},
 				},
 			},
@@ -218,6 +218,7 @@ func TestPodLifeTime(t *testing.T) {
 						},
 					}
 					pod.OwnerReferences = ownerRef1
+					pod.ObjectMeta.CreationTimestamp = olderPodCreationTime
 				}),
 			},
 			nodes:                   []*v1.Node{node1},
@@ -230,7 +231,7 @@ func TestPodLifeTime(t *testing.T) {
 				Params: &api.StrategyParameters{
 					PodLifeTime: &api.PodLifeTime{
 						MaxPodLifeTimeSeconds: &maxLifeTime,
-						PodStatusPhases:       []string{"PodInitializing"},
+						States:                []string{"PodInitializing"},
 					},
 				},
 			},
@@ -245,6 +246,7 @@ func TestPodLifeTime(t *testing.T) {
 						},
 					}
 					pod.OwnerReferences = ownerRef1
+					pod.ObjectMeta.CreationTimestamp = olderPodCreationTime
 				}),
 			},
 			nodes:                   []*v1.Node{node1},
@@ -257,7 +259,7 @@ func TestPodLifeTime(t *testing.T) {
 				Params: &api.StrategyParameters{
 					PodLifeTime: &api.PodLifeTime{
 						MaxPodLifeTimeSeconds: &maxLifeTime,
-						PodStatusPhases:       []string{"Pending"},
+						States:                []string{"Pending"},
 					},
 				},
 			},