African and Middle Eastern countries could receive more foreign aid if they help fight illegal migration, the Daily Express can reveal.
British officials have been ordered to explore “new avenues” and use “carrot and stick diplomacy”, sources have said.
This could see countries given more money to help convince migrants to stay at home and to hunt organised people smuggling gangs.
Foreign Office sources branded the approach “win-win” as fewer migrants will attempt to reach the UK and foreign governments will “benefit from upstream investment and projects through UK Aid”.
But countries that refuse to take back thousands of illegal migrants, for example by delaying paperwork and travel documents, could see their citizens issued with fewer visas, it is understood.
Governments that refuse to take back illegal migrants could also face “coordinated diplomatic pressure” from “allied countries” and be ordered to the back of the queue for official visits from UK delegations.
A Foreign Office source said: “We’ve seen where carrot-diplomacy has worked before and can be replicated across other priority countries and regions.
“The Foreign Secretary sees this as a win-win situation both for the UK with reduced pull-factors and those countries we are working with internationally who avoid a brain-drain of key skills and talent that they need for economic prosperity”.
Ministers are said to be copying an agreement with Vietnam, which saw the UK commit extra funding to hunt smuggling gangs and help poor communities struggling with a lack of employment and education opportunities.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy is looking to expand this to other “target countries” in Africa and the Middle East amid fears the UK is still far too attractive to illegal migrants.
Officials have warned that the Channel migrant crisis is “endemic” and that there is unlikely to be any drop in the number of crossings until 2026 at the earliest.
There is also concern over an increase in the number of migrants arriving from countries in the Horn of Africa, such as Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan.
Almost 15,000 migrants have crossed the Channel so far this year.
But fewer than five per cent of Channel migrants are being deported, figures show, with critics warning many ditch their documents in the water as Border Force vessels approach them.
Rising numbers of migrants are also claiming asylum having travelled to the UK on visitor or study visas, official figures show.
The Home Office is planning to clamp down on countries with high rates of asylum applicants who arrived in the UK on specific visas.
It is a tactic used to extend someone’s stay in the UK.
Pakistan accounted for 10,542 asylum claims last year. But only 89 came from small boat arrivals, meaning the vast majority were lodged by visa holders.
Nearly a third were related to family members of the main applicant, suggesting that Pakistani migrants are coming to Britain to claim asylum with their children and spouses.
Some 2,841 Nigerians claimed asylum last year, including 1,031 dependants. Just 44 arrived on small boats.
Another 2,862 Sri Lankans also claimed asylum, of whom 1,091 were dependants.