Hi I guess this has been covered elsewhere but every answer on this thread seems to be ignoring it...

Not all Ls and Bs are the same. If the initial L was for 6 months then this 6 months will not count. If it was for 12 months then it is the date of entry. Everybody seems to be going on the rules of today ie permits that are around today but a "few" years ago (pre 2005) things were different and the counting of time starts according to the old rules.

Furthermore, not all time on a B counts - this is dependent on the type of B you have and whether this is a fixed term (typically 4 years) B or annually renewable. The annually renewable type can be swapped for an L permit which can have interesting consequences - Are you aware you are supposed to inform the world if your permit type changes!!!

And then there is this belief that you need to wait 5 years before applying which is simply not true. You can apply at any time, but you will probably be rejected. It all depends on what reasons you put down if you want it before the time is up.

Richard