David Cameron held talks with key ministers and officials today over whether Afghan interpreters should be allowed to seek refuge in Britain.
The National Security Council (NSC) is understood to have discussed the issue amid a growing campaign for people who helped UK forces to be given the right to settle here.
However, a final decision has yet to be taken on the controversial issue.
A petition launched by one interpreter, in hiding after he and his family were threatened by the Taliban because of work he carried out for the British forces, has already gathered more than 60,000 signatures.
The cause has also been taken up by pressure group Avaaz, which accused Britain of leaving interpreters behind to be "hunted down by the Taliban".
High-profile figures stepped into the fray earlier this month, saying Britain has a "moral obligation" to help Afghan interpreters.
An open letter from names including former Chief of the General Staff Sir Mike Jackson and Lord Ashdown said it was shameful that Britain was alone among Nato countries in refusing them asylum.
Lawyers for the interpreter behind the petition, who is known as Abdul, are calling for Afghans to receive the same "targeted assistance scheme" that was provided to Iraqi interpreters employed by the British forces in Iraq.
The scheme allows qualifying staff the right either to resettle in Britain or a one-off financial payment.
