diff --git a/packages/eslint-plugin/docs/rules/no-import-type-side-effects.md b/packages/eslint-plugin/docs/rules/no-import-type-side-effects.md
index 4cc35547e6f..35b8f2c5282 100644
--- a/packages/eslint-plugin/docs/rules/no-import-type-side-effects.md
+++ b/packages/eslint-plugin/docs/rules/no-import-type-side-effects.md
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ description: 'Enforce the use of top-level import type qualifier when an import
 >
 > See **https://typescript-eslint.io/rules/no-import-type-side-effects** for documentation.
 
-The [`--verbatimModuleSyntax`](https://www.typescriptlang.org/tsconfig#verbatimModuleSyntax) compiler option causes TypeScript to do simple and predictable transpilation on import declarations, namely it completely removes import declarations with a top-level `type` qualifier, and it removes any import specifiers with an inline `type` qualifier.
+The [`--verbatimModuleSyntax`](https://www.typescriptlang.org/tsconfig#verbatimModuleSyntax) compiler option causes TypeScript to do simple and predictable transpilation on import declarations.
+Namely, it completely removes import declarations with a top-level `type` qualifier, and it removes any import specifiers with an inline `type` qualifier.
 
 The latter behavior does have one potentially surprising effect in that in certain cases TS can leave behind a "side effect" import at runtime:
 
@@ -20,7 +21,7 @@ import {} from 'mod';
 import 'mod';
 ```
 
-For some rare cases, this may be desirable - but for many cases you will not want to leave behind an unnecessary side effect import.
+For the rare case of needing to import for side effects, this may be desirable - but for most cases you will not want to leave behind an unnecessary side effect import.
 
 ## Examples
 
diff --git a/packages/eslint-plugin/src/rules/no-import-type-side-effects.ts b/packages/eslint-plugin/src/rules/no-import-type-side-effects.ts
index ee2a4d3291e..f087ffe565f 100644
--- a/packages/eslint-plugin/src/rules/no-import-type-side-effects.ts
+++ b/packages/eslint-plugin/src/rules/no-import-type-side-effects.ts
@@ -26,19 +26,16 @@ export default util.createRule<Options, MessageIds>({
   create(context) {
     const sourceCode = context.getSourceCode();
     return {
-      ImportDeclaration(node): void {
-        if (node.importKind === 'type') {
-          return;
-        }
+      'ImportDeclaration[importKind!="type"]'(
+        node: TSESTree.ImportDeclaration,
+      ): void {
 
         const specifiers: TSESTree.ImportSpecifier[] = [];
         for (const specifier of node.specifiers) {
-          if (specifier.type !== AST_NODE_TYPES.ImportSpecifier) {
-            return;
-          }
-          if (specifier.importKind !== 'type') {
-            return;
-          }
+          if (
+            specifier.type !== AST_NODE_TYPES.ImportSpecifier ||
+            specifier.importKind !== 'type'
+          ) {
           specifiers.push(specifier);
         }