Tier 2 ICT to Tier 2 ICT Dependent to Tier 2 General

[bvbcet]

Hi Everyone,
I have question on this topic. I need our expert opinion, me and my wife came to UK in Feb 2016. I was on Tier 2 ICT and my wife was tier 2 ICT Dependent. But my wife got Tier 2 general in August 2017 and I became tier 2 general Dependent in August 2017. My questions are:

1) When I can switch from tier 2 general dependent to Tier 2 general? I know that there is 12 months cooling period, but
a. When I switched visa from tier 2 ICT to tier 2 gen dependent in August 2017, my tier 2 ICT visa was still valid till February 2018 and I never left UK (was continuously working in UK), so the question here is, do I need to wait till feb 2019 (12 months after expiry of tier 2 ICT) OR Aug 2018 (12 months after switching to tier 2 general dependent) to get tier 2 general visa?
b. Is 12 months cooling period applicable for applying for my visa OR is it applicable for my employer applying for Cos (Certificate of Sponsorship)?, the reason for this is that, we are thinking, my employer can apply for my Cos on 12th Month and I can apply for tier 2 general visa exactly few days after completing 12 months.
c. Also I think I need to apply for tier 2 general visa in my home country, Please confirm

Your help will be appreciated. Thanks.

[CR001]

1a. You can apply for Tier 2 General 12 months after the date you became a Tier 2 General Dependent. It is not a 'switch' which can only be done within the UK. It is a new entry clearance visa from outside the UK. Your ICT visa would have been cancelled by HO when your dependent visa was granted.

1b. Your sponsor can request a RCoS, but you can only apply for your visa if your sponsor gets RCoS approved, once you have held dependent visa for 12 months.

1c. Yes, you can only apply from home country.

[bvbcet]

Thanks a lot for your help. Much appreciated.