More small boat migrants are expected to arrive on Britain's shores after the Government closed two schemes for Afghans to apply for asylum, according to a Home Office policy paper.

Afghans, forced to travel illegally to escape the Taliban regime, would result in “wider costs” to taxpayers, the explanatory memorandum to a statement of changes to the immigration laws outlines.

The Government ended the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) without warning at 3pm on Tuesday, sparking outrage from campaigners.

Officials admitted the decision to end the scheme with “no notice” was a deliberate attempt to “prevent a spike in last-minute applications and mitigate against an increase to the backlog of outstanding applications”.

More small boat migrants are expected to arrive on Britain's shores if the Government closes two schemes for Afghans to apply for asylum, according to a Home Office policy paper

The schemes were established to help those who had helped Britain fight the Taliban and to help vulnerable citizens and those who assisted British efforts in Afghanistan to legally enter the UK safely.

Campaigners accused Ministers of "perverse" treatment towards Afghans after they said recipients had no warning that the scheme would close.

The deadline for applications was buried in a 138-page Home Office statement of changes to the immigration rules published on the same day.

The closure risks simply shifting asylum applications from the Ministry of Defence to the Home Office, an explanatory note revealed, creating further stress on the already stretched system.

The schemes were established to help those who had helped Britain fight the Taliban and to help vulnerable citizens and those who assisted British efforts in Afghanistan to legally enter the UK safely

The paper read: “Similarly, there is a risk that eligible individuals will remain at risk or will seek to use irregular routes, including small boats, following the closure of Arap.

"The latter would result in wider costs to Government. However, it is not currently possible to estimate these potential impacts."

It added: "The impact of the closure of the scheme with no notice period will prevent a spike in last-minute applications and mitigate against an increase to the backlog of outstanding applications that need to be considered for eligibility by the MoD."

The Ministry of Defence has received 13,000 principal applications since October, with more applications still being received, according to the paper.

More than 20,000 small boat migrants have now crossed the English Channel so far this year

More than 20,000 small boat migrants have now crossed the English Channel so far this year, in more grim news for the Prime Minister's efforts to "smash the gangs".

GB News confirmed the grim milestone figure was crossed on July 1, when another Border Force vessel arrived in Dover harbour with 60 migrants on board.

That figure is 50 per cent more than the 13,489 who arrived in the UK at this point last year, with the number expected to carry on increasing over the summer months.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.

"The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.

"That is why this Government has put together a serious plan to take down these networks at every stage."