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Emmanuel Macron has asked Sir Keir Starmer to make Britain less attractive to migrants aiming for the UK via the English Channel.
The French president believes the UK is responsible for the record number of small ships crossing the Channel and has made three key demands to reduce "pull factors".
Macron, who arrived in Britain on Tuesday for the first state visit by a European head of state since Brexit, was expected to announce the new deal with the Prime Minister at an Anglo-French summit on Thursday.
A deal with Paris would allow Britain to legally return illegal Channel migrants to France, for the first time since Brexit.
But Sir Keir is trying to save the pact after five EU member states that bear the brunt of European arrivals raised concerns that a deal would force them to accept more migrants.
According to The Telegraph, Macron wants Sir Keir to crack down on the black market for UK work and welfare payments and make family reunification easier for genuine asylum seekers as conditions for the deal.
A source from the Elysée warned that Macron expected measures “that address the root causes of the factors that attract people to the United Kingdom,” adding: “these causes must also be addressed by the British.”
They added that France would be willing to discuss ways to stop more small boats leaving its coasts during the Anglo-French summit on Thursday.
Macron's allies have said that the ease with which migrants can find undeclared employment means Britain is seen as "an El Dorado", a city of wealth where it is easy to work.
The demands emerged as Macron enjoyed a day filled with pomp and pageantry during a visit celebrating what the Elysee called a "pragmatic rapprochement."
Crossings through the canal have reached a record high this year with 20,600 migrants so far, the highest since the first arrivals in 2018.
Macron said that 1/3 of migrants entering the EU's Schengen zone illegally were aiming for the United Kingdom as their final destination.
"France and the United Kingdom have a shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and justice," the French President said, adding that "we will only reach a sustainable and effective solution with action at the European level, as well as by addressing the pull factors of migration."
He also warned that French and British societies risked "falling apart" and that Brexit was a "regrettable" decision, although he said he respected it.
The French president wants to make it harder for illegal immigrants to work in Britain, while asylum seekers are not allowed to work legally.
Temporary employment and distribution are seen as areas that can be easily exploited, as Britain does not have European-style identity cards.
Macron also sees benefits for migrants who have successfully obtained asylum as another pull factor attracting migrants to Britain and another root cause that needs to be addressed.
His third demand focuses on the number of migrants in small boats trying to reach their families who are already in the UK.
Macron wants Britain to accept one genuine asylum seeker from France, who wants to reunite with a family member in Britain, for every illegal immigrant France takes back.
It is thought that migrants will be less motivated to make the dangerous crossing if they have a legal route to Britain.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has already prioritised a crackdown on illegal foreign workers and an immediate crackdown on swindlers. Raids on companies suspected of employing illegal workers topped 10,000 last year, a 48% increase, and fines for this have tripled to £60,000.
In May, a Telegraph investigation revealed that asylum seekers housed in Home Office hotels are paying off people smugglers' debts by working illegally as food distributors.
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