Brain gain is widely understood to be associated with the migration of highly skilled human resources from the Global South to the Global North, and their synergic impact on their home country through the transfer of money, knowledge, and skills. This concept excludes low-income and lower-skilled migrants in the development debate and diaspora engagement programs. Notably, no extensive study has examined the concept of brain gain in the context of irregular migration from low-income households, which primarily consists of the migration of low and semi-skilled individuals. Additionally, these migrants often being excluded in the development debate and diaspora engagement programs, and the concept has not been adequately addressed in the context of south-south migration. To bridge this gap, this study examines the brain gain concept regarding the migration of low- and semi-skilled workers from urban informal settlements in Mzuzu, Malawi. Using qualitative methods, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 returnee migrants in Mzuzu Malawi and 37 key informants between June and August 2018. The findings indicates that, despite being irregular at the destination and their engagement in low-skilled or semi-skilled jobs, the contribution of returnee migrants to their place of origin supports the concept of “brain gain” at the local level. Though the impact may not be significant at the macro level, their contributions through brain gain at the micro- and meso-levels highlight the need for further research on this phenomenon.